Armor for 2 or 2 for 1
by Gamest Link
Summary: What happens when a new teacher comes to Dakota High? And what do Static and Gear have to do with this strange Samurai armor. Roninwarriors Xover
1. Default Chapter

Armor of Innocence

A/N: I don't own Static Shock, Ronin Warriors characters or Nintendo. I wasn't paid to write this, it was just for fun, so don't sue! Just in case you're wondering RW is under anime.

So, what happens when this Japanese teacher comes to Dakota High? Static and Gear have their work cut out for them as armored foes take the streets and they have to dawn this new armor.

Ok to the Story: The Teacher

Virgil and Ritchie dreaded the first day of school. It would mean the end of sleeping in, the end of running off whenever they heard a police report on a meta-human, and the end of eating junk food that won't attack you from a vending machine. However, a perfect time for them to catch up on their sleep in history, who needs it anyway, right? The duo ran in along with several others students right on the bell, flopped into the back row seats, trying to catch their breath.

"Next time… I'll set my alarm clock than have Sharon wake me up late again!" said Virgil leaning back in his chair.

Ritchie rested his head on his desk. "Hey, at least you have someone to wake you!" He sat up. "I even set Backpack to wake me up and it didn't even go off." He dropped his head on the desk face first, hitting with more impact than intended.

"Dude, didn't that hurt?"

"Yes." Ritchie raised his head nursing his nose.

"Uh…" Virgil looked up at the teacher finding his appearance rather odd, "Do Asian guys usually have blond hair?"

The Teacher looked up, "No my father's American, I inherited those genes from him." He said surprising Virgil, "anyways, I am Mr. Date I'll be teaching the class this year. Watch what you say because I have pretty good hearing."

"Great we're getting taught by a teacher named after a fruit." Virgil whispered.

"Or a certain period in time," said Ritchie.

"Is that a pun?" Virgil asked.

All the girls just sighed as the new teacher wrote his name on the bored. All the guys just rolled their eyes. Mr. Date gave an annoyed sigh. Virgil glance at Daisy shocked to see her and Frieda doing the same.

"Looks like you might have some competition there V."

Virgil crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it at Ritchie for the comment. He just let it bounce off his head, still nursing his nose.

The classroom orientation began, boring as usual. Virgil and Ritchie started talking to each other low enough so that the teacher couldn't possibly hear them. That didn't work as the Teacher slapped Virgil's desk, getting their attention along with startling the rest of the class.

"Am I boring you two?" Mr. Date asked.

"Uh, no sir," They quickly said.

"Good. Then do you mind telling me what I was talking about?"

Ritchie decided to guess, "Duh… um… notebooks and… pencils?"

"Good… So you were paying attention, now would one of you mind reading the next line?"

"I will!" Virgil volunteered and looked down at his desk and no paper, "Uh…?"

Mr. Date waited a moment and said, "If you two had been paying attention you would know; I would talk about my rules first, and then hand you your orientation papers for your parents to sign, near the end of the hour."

"Sorry, it won't happen again."

Mr. Date walked off and Daisy elbowed Virgil, "See! Now you got him mad!"

"I got him mad?" Virgil looked confused.

Halfway through class Virgil couldn't keep his eyes open. Then kept getting poked on his side—annoying—it was probably just Ritchie, therefore, ignored it. The poking wouldn't cease and he continued to ignore it. Until he was startled awake by another slap on the desk.

"Sleeping through my class?" Mr. Date said staring at Virgil through his glasses with his only visible eye.

"Sorry, you see I didn't get enough sleep last night…" Virgil trailed off getting a weird feeling staring into that hard intimidating eye. Was it fear? He gulped as Mr. Date finally turned away.

"Sleep at home not in my class."

Virgil silently mocked him. Suddenly his vision was blocked and felt a momentary sting on the forehead, "What the?"

"Detention after school Mr. Hawkins," Mr. Date sighed.

Ritchie chuckle, "Ha, strike three V."

Virgil yanked the slip off his forehead sinking into his seat pouting.

After school Virgil had to write "_I will not fall asleep in class, again." _on the chalk bored one-hundred times. He grumbled under his breath as his wrist started getting tired, stopping for a moment to shake it off. "You know this is a bit old fashion, considered cruel and unusual."

"Its old fashion but very effective." Mr. Date said not looking away from his book. "You remind me of someone but I can't seem to put my finger on it," and turned the page.

"Man this is whack!" and continues with the punishment.

"Hey if it makes you feel any better Foley's just outside the door."

Virgil yells, "Hey Ritchie!"

"NO!" Ritchie cried and stepped into the doorway with a Game Boy in hand, "Do you have any idea on how long it took me to get to that level?" He narrowly yelled, "You just killed Mario!"

"What are you still doing here?"

"I was bored, 'sides wouldn't be much fun without you."

"Not having much fun right now."

"This isn't social time," Said Mr. Date turning to the two, "get back to work."

"Gees sorry," Said Ritchie and took a seat continuing to play. "So, uh since I'm not here for detention can I ask a few questions?"

"So long as they don't get too personal."

"O.k. then what country are you originally from?"

"Japan."

"Oh cool do they like really have Grave yards on top of the buildings?"

"Yes, but not on all of them."

"What did you do there on your time off?"

"I played the bamboo flute, trim by bonsai trees, read, I did flower arranging-"

"Flower arranging?" Virgil cut him off and started to laugh, Mr. Date glared at him.

"Hey V, I wouldn't be laughing if I were you. Usually when guys do flower arranging it means they're pretty good with a sword."

"Say what?" Virgil saw Mr. Date's glasses glare and nervously cleared his throat, proceeding with the punishment.

"Is there anything else you would like to ask Mr. Foley?" Mr. Date asked.

"Hey Mr. Foley's my dad I'm just Richard or preferably Ritchie. Any specific reason why you are here?"

"To teach."

"Uh… can you be more specific?"

"I needed a change from the crowd. Here it seems more peaceful and less crowded. Anyway I plan to visit a few friends later. One is in New York visiting his Uncle; another is in L.A. training some orca."

"A what?"

"Oh, orca… it's a killer whale. There is also another in Phoenix, I forgot why he's there; last Rowans in still in Japan helping a friend."

"Ah!" Virgil yelled, "Am I done yet?" He shook his sore wrist.

Mr. Date skimmed around the room, "That's all right for now. The two of you can go home I think it's time to call it a day." He closed his book and stood up.

"One more question," Said Ritchie, "What's your first name?"

"Date, or do you mean my name?"

"Uh…yeah."

"Sage."

"Sage Date? That's kind of odd."

Virgil quickly grabbed his backpack and Ritchie and ran for the door, "Bye Mr. Date see ya tomorrow!" then he let go of Ritchie, "Glad to be outta there."

"V! You dragged me out of there so fast I forgot the Game Boy!"

"You… Forgot my Game Boy Advanced?" Virgil stood in disbelief, then turned around and stomped back to class.

"Hey, I can go back for it if you don't want to!" Ritchie yelled.

Along the way Virgil stopped in his tracks, watching as a tiny green orb mysteriously rolled down the hall, and came to a stop at his feet. It had a strangely familiar symbol glowing on it. He crouched to pick it up, getting a better look at it. "This is a weird marble." He entered the room still examining the orb.

Mr. Date had his back turned staring out the window.

Slowly and quietly, Virgil walked over to the desk with the Game Boy and grabbed it. Then he turned to the symbol, allowing his curiosity to get the better of him to ask, "Uh… Mr. Date?"

Mr. Date turned around, "I thought you left."

"Um yeah, I came to get my Game Boy and I found this rolling around down the hall." Shows him the marble, "Any idea what it said?"

"How'd this thing get away?" He takes it for closer examination. "It says Grace, or it can even be interpreted as wisdom."

Virgil cocked a quizzical eyebrow, "Aren't you a little old to be playing with marbles?"

"Aren't you running a little late?" Mr. Date said with some irritation.

"Uh, yeah guess I am, Bye!" Virgil sprinted out the room. "Come on Ritchie let's go!" He yelled running through the halls.

"I thought so." Mr. Date smirked putting the marble back in his pocket.

Off the school grounds the duo decided to wonder around for a bit before really deciding on what to do next.

"Finally the day is over and now it's time to relax," said Ritchie.

"Easy for you to say, now I have to tell my Pops why I had to stay after school." Said Virgil.

"Or you could just hide out till curfew. In the mean time how about starting off with a comic book run before going on patrol?"

"Good idea." They turned the corner, "Hey!"

"What the?!" Ritchie stood horrified at the sight of samurai armored guys ravaging their favorite comic book store, "No not the good comics!"

"Naw, they're running away with all the new issues!"

They look at each other and nod and run off to change to become Static and Gear!

The duo flew all over the armored guys looking down at them, "So how many do you think there are?" Static asked.

"It's hard to tell, maybe a little over 200…"

"200! That's it?"

"Maybe more, the weird thing is they are not reading on backpacks scanners. It's like they're not even there."

Static shrugged as if it was nothing. "Well," and popped his fingers, "Time to get to work."

They went there separate ways and Gear threw his special cement goo, while Static magnetized one getting a few stuck together in a ball. "This is too easy." Said Static extending his arms away from each other, tearing the armored guys apart, "Huh?" he flew in closer and cautiously to the debris. "They're empty." Static looked around, "Hey Gear!" He called, "They're empty!"

"What?" Gear landed next to Static checking the debris, "Then what the heck is keeping them up?"

"Get them!" The Armored guys yelled dog-piling on the two.

"Ah! For them being empty," Gear grunted under the weight, "they're pretty heavy."

"Gear! Where are you?" Static yelled as he looked around but only saw green everywhere. What was worse, the clanging of metal drowned out any sound and probably couldn't hear.

Static gathered his energy and stretched letting out a blast throwing all of them off. Then concentrated and fixed his power on every individual one and ripped them apart. "Gear!"

"Right here," Gear sat up rubbing his lower back, "I don't get it," Gear took Static's offered hand getting up, "Why were they here?"

"Probably another meta-human around somewhere?"

"Ooh hey look!" Gear retrieved a comic, "All the new issues are in!"

The two sat in the middle of the street reading comic books until the store clerk finally stumbled out of hiding, "They're gone?" he turns to the two, "Hey you better pay for those!"

"We got money!" Static yelled.

Gear's backpack went off, "Uh-oh, Backpack detected a meta-human attack."

"No, and I was just getting into the comic!" Static whined.

The store clerk cleared his throat, tapping his foot.

"Oh yeah." Gear stood up and paid the guy.

"Here keep the change!" Static threw his money flying off. "Where to Gear?"

"You won't believe this!"

They flew over to Burger Fool finding it was also over run by the same guys.

"Burger Fool!" Said Static. "Why attack there?"

"Maybe someone messed up their order?" Gear flew up and threw down the goop.

"Hey will you two quit following me around!" Hotstreak yelled as Daisy and Frieda followed close behind.

"I know we're crazy for following you," Said Frieda, "but it'd be even crazier to stay back there with them!"

They ran to the end of an alley, "It's a dead end!" Daisy announced.

"Out of my way!" Hotstreak turned around and melted a few of the Armored guys.

"Hey! Watch where you're aimin'!" Static yelled.

"I said out of my way!"

"Frieda? …Daisy?"

"Static!" They both said happily.

"Mind tellin' me what happened?"

"Those things just attacked without warning!" Said Frieda.

"More like they popped out thin air," said Daisy.

"Okay" Static flew off, "stay here!"

"Hey!" Hotstreak yelled, "You're not leaving them here with me!"

Static grabbed the armored guys as before and balled them up into one huge metallic sphere. Gear threw a Freeze cap and Static let go allowing the ball to shatter.

"Static!" Gear called, "look at that!"

"What's that weird smoke coming out of them?"

"Backpack, scan smoke," Gear commanded and in an instant received his results. "This is… weird," He skimmed, "all of a sudden backpack is detecting an ectoplasm reading."

"Meaning?"

"Not sure if you'll believe this but…" Gear wasn't even sure if he, himself believed it. "It's more common among paranormal studies as…Ghosts?"

A couple of days passed and Virgil arrived late at the gas station having stayed after school, again. Collapsing on an old sofa he and Ritchie found in the junkyard. It wasn't much but it helped make the place a little more homely. At least until he felt something crawling on his back. He cringed at the thought of a huge spider then warily looked over his shoulder. Relief washed over him as Backpack peered back at him.

At least it was Backpacks red glow and not the Teacher staring at him with eyes that can make even a newborn baby cry.

"Ritchie!" Virgil Yelled.

"Hey V, come take a look at this!" Ritchie said through Backpack.

"I would but Backpack has me pinned."

"Sorry about that." Backpack crawled off of Virgil leading the way to another room. "So you had to stay after again?"

"That teacher hates me!"

"Naw you? The most loveable student in all of Dakota High?" Richie teased.

"What is that anyway?" He asked ignoring the tease and seeing a piece of metal on the counter.

"You know those armored dudes from the other day? Well this is a piece of them. I was just analyzing it and I thought it looked familiar, so I looked up their armor on the web and guess what?"

"What?"

"No, guess." He said playfully.

"Ritchie, I'm not in the mood for this!"

"Fine," Ritchie pouted, "this is Samurai armor over one-thousand years old. Along with it I found a few other cool things about it. This one goes into Japanese mythology of course and this one bad assed dude called Talpa: according to the legend when an evil shadow engulfs the city the Ronin Warriors will come to save it, and it has a strange poem that tells the story. If Talpa gets into this world from his own then life as we know it is doomed." He said rather cheerful.

"That's the poem?"

"No, but I did find out something else. It needs at least five of these nine Virtues to destroy Talpa: righteousness, grace, life, justice, trust, loyalty, piety, serenity, and…" He looked up thinking, "crap! I forgot the last one. Anyways, a few of these virtues get confused and misinterpreted like Grace will be wisdom or-"

"Hold on!" Virgil was more alert, "Grace and wisdom?"

"They stand for the warrior of light. They almost even have their own elements: fire, air, light, water, Earth, and the four seasons. One is of them is supposed to be an exact opposite of the other. I take it it's the dark one."

"Oh…" Virgil said unenthusiastically.

"Now I remember!" he snapped his fingers, "the last virtue was Obedience."

Virgil yawns rubbing his right eye, "I'm going to the other room to sleep."

"Aw! Come on V!" Ritchie Whined.

"Listen, I'm getting some sleep-" Virgil was cut off again.

"Oh and Virg."

"Huh?" Groggy.

"While we were fighting with those things I found this one Marble that matched the lights when we took care of those foot soldiers. It was a green orb with the symbol of Grace on it. When I was about to pick it up it just rolled away on its own."

"What? That one teacher's did the same thing."

"Mr. Date? Well that be weird, Mr. Date of the Light."

"Or more like Sage of the Halo." Virgil said sleepily.

"It just sounds weird."

"Good night." Virgil yawned leaving the room.

The next day Ritchie looked up the piece of armor in class. Searching through the textbook he found a picture which most likely resembled the armor. However, reading the text didn't satisfy his curiosity or answer any questions.

"Reading quite a bit ahead aren't we?"

"Huh?" Ritchie looked up surprised. "Dah! …Uh Mr. Date. I just find history so interesting… sometimes I just skip ahead a… chapter… or two." Now he knew what Virgil meant by his eye could even make a newborn cry. It was like he was digging the truth out of him and turned back to the book. "I got lost," and pitifully lied.

"Page 29," He said and Ritchie turned back to the correct page, "Where did you get that?" Mr. Date asked narrowing his eyes.

"Oh this?" He looked at Virgil who smirked a smirk saying _your turn_, "I, uh, found it."

"Give it to me." Mr. Date held out his hand and Rich gave him the object, "If you want this back you'll have to come in at lunch," and left him to his studies.

"Of all things why Lunch!" Ritchie dropped his head.

"Told you he was mean," Virgil whispered.

Later at lunch Virgil ate with Daisy and Frieda since Ritchie hadn't come back. As much as he enjoyed their company he dreaded the subject change to Mr. Date.

"…Oh and Mr. Date is one of the hottest teachers!" said Daisy.

"Please…" Said Virgil, "What does he have that I don't?"

"Well…" Frieda began, "He's got those gorgeous eyes…"

"But you can only see one."

"Those long golden locks." said Daisy.

"… And that deep voice." The girls said unison and sighed in a dream like state.

"Uh, you know he does wear glasses."

"I wonder what his prescription is?" said Daisy.

"O.k. now I'm getting nocuous." Virgil got up and threw his tray of food away, going to the classroom that's given him so many nightmares. He wouldn't be surprised if Ritchie did manage to start a friendly conversation with Mr. Date.

"Ah! My wrist!" Ritchie snapped and whined. "This is so cruel."

"You're even worse than your friend."

"Do you just pick on us because you have nothing better to do?"

"No, it's a form of discipline. It seems like you kids need a lot of it. Hawkins is here."

"How do you do that?" Virgil stepped into the doorway.

"It's impossible to separate you two," Mr. Date's laptop beeped and he checked his e-mail, "Great." He said sarcastically.

Ritchie peaked in on the message then turned back to the bored. _So he's expecting someone to be here_, he thought. He winced at his wrist, "Can I go now?"

"It doesn't look like one hundred fifty." Mr. Date said not looking up from the laptop.

"But you didn't even look up," Ritchie complained at the lack of attention.

Mr. Date sat back scaring the two, taking off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose for some ounce of relief. "Look, if you just do five more then I'll let you and Hawkins go and give you back your metal."

"Done!" Ritchie hurried up enduring the pain in writing the last few sentences.

"Hey Mr. Date?" called Virgil.

"What is it?" He turned to Virgil, this time with a softer look on his face than what he was used to. Maybe he was just exhausted?

"Uh…" he started nervously, "why do you always hide one eye?"

"I've always had hard eyes and I used to have very sharp vision when I was little. They used to make my friends cry so my sister suggested I cover one up." He placed his glasses back on his nose.

"Sister?" Virgil silently repeated, finding one thing in common.

"Okay! Now that's over and done with," Ritchie turned, "Can we leave now?" he said, more as begging.

"Go ahead and here." He gives Ritchie back the metal, "But tell me, where did you find this?"

"Oh… well…" he stammered trying to think up of a good story, "after Static and Gear saved the comic book store I found it just lying on the ground with a bunch of others just like it."

"Be careful with this metal." He warned.

"Is there something you know that you're not telling us?" Virgil glared.

"Only, that there are several superstitions around this kind of metal. Go ahead and challenge the superstition if you want…"

The duo left the room thinking Mr. Date was only trying to scare them. Ritchie was happy to be going to lunch until the bell rang, "NO! Not my Lunch Hour!" He cried.

Virgil snapped his fingers as if figuring out something, "That's what I forgot to do! Sorry Rich meant to save some of my lunch for you."

The comic book run after a school was a relief for the two. The both of them were reading the same issue. Virgil was glad he didn't have detention. With all this free time on his hands he took his time reading, getting drawn into the comic.

Suddenly he was pulled behind a shelf, "Rich!"

Ritchie shushed him and pointed to the counter, "Look."

"Huh?" Virgil looked confused, "What's he doing here?"

"Did he just buy a comic?"

Mr. Date glanced over his shoulder as Virgil and Ritchie ducked down. "Did he see us?" They waited and exhaled hearing the doorbell, "guess not."

"Dude, is he stocking us?" Ritchie asked.

"Oh Crap!" Virgil looked out side the windows watching as Hotstreak snatched the comic from Mr. Date. "He's really going to need our help."

"Yeah," Ritchie agreed and were about to go and save their teacher when he jumped and knocked out Hotstreak with just a chop to the back of the neck. "Oh…"

"Kay…" Virgil finished equally confused. "Could he be a bang baby?"

"Don't know."

Mr. Date snatched up the comic and walked off. The duo looked at each other, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Follow him!"

They bought their comics and left.

Every time Mr. Date took a glance back they would hide even if it were behind a light post. However their spying around would have to wait as an alarm went off.

"Great." They said and ran off.

They returned flying over the city, "Hey Static!" Gear called, "According to the police report it's those armored guys again! This time it's at the Community Center!"

"Not good!" Static said. Then spotted Mr. Date and sped up to show off, and shot passed the teacher.

"What the!" He watched the boy pass him getting caught in the gust. "Could it be?" he thought, _is he the one we're looking for?_

"Yo, Static!" Gear followed, "Wait up!"

"Or?" He paused for a moment. _Well, I won't know just standing here. _Mr. Date followed on foot.

The Community Center was over run by foot soldiers. Static crouched on his disk looking down at the mess. "Gees! I hope my Pops' insurance covers all this."

"Maybe we should've come here first," Gear dropped a capsule.

"Well, let's get to work." Static threw an electric ball bowling down a few, entering through the clearing.

Gear flew down into the gym. A few kids were cornered at the far end of the basketball court. He threw a few freeze caps and let the kids have fun playing an unfair game of dodge ball.

Meanwhile, Static flew around the halls dragging around the foot soldiers like a ball and chain. As well as breaking a few windows along the way thanks to getting magnetized. He reached his fathers' office last and four of those armored guys jumped out in front of him, knocking Static off his disk.

"That could've gone smoother." Static grunted, rubbed the back of his head.

"Get him!" One ordered.

"Finally," two Soldiers lifted Static to his feet. "The one who can control lightning…"

"Hey, I think you have the wrong guy." He struggled in their grip.

"All that is left is to test his soul."

One raised a hand over Virgil's head.

"What? Sorry, but I don't have time for this." Static put down his shades and clapped. The lights over head blinded the soldiers and with his power manipulated the Centers electricity to shred them.

Once the coast was clear he hopped into the office, "Mr. Hawkins?" Static called, "Anybody here?" Static turned to the sound of banging coming from next door. He forced it opened and his father fell to the floor with a bunch of scared but unharmed children behind him.

"Static?"

"You all right, sir?" He asked helping his father up.

"I'm just fine." He dusted him self off, "Luckily they couldn't get into this room. They were looking for you and Gear."

"Well, they came to the right place. All of you might want to get out of here."

"My daughter's still somewhere..."

"I'll get her!" Static flew off.

Gear flew up and looked down and at the center. He couldn't put his finger on it but the soldiers kept flooding out of the building. Then spotted Mr. Date on the other side of the street, and managed to hold his own. That was until he was sucker punched, Gear flew down to help him and when another pulled out a sharp spear.

"No!" Gear yelled guarding the teacher then was struck in the abdomen.

"NO! GEAR! MR. DATE!" Static yelled seeing the spear pierce through both of them pinning them to the wall.

Mr. Date put his arms around Gear pulling him back as the foot soldier pulled out the spear then kicked it away and set Gear down.

Static cleared the area and landed, "Are you all right?"

"Yes, but he isn't." Said Mr. Date, fortunately he didn't have a single scratch on him.

"That… hurt." Gear struggled to say putting pressure on the wound.

"We need to get him to a hospital," Said Static, "I'll clear the way just follow me!"

Mr. Date pulled Gears free arm over his shoulder and helped him up.

"No matter what, don't let them take off his mask!"

"I understand." Mr. Date nodded and following Static.

"There, now go! I'll take care of the rest!" Static flew back.

Mr. Date watched and instead ran into a near by ally setting Gear down.

Even through slit eyes and a quickly blurring vision, he saw the figure before him change clothes right in front of him. One second wearing regular clothes and the next this weird suit appeared on him.

Was he hallucinating?

He crouched and removed Gear's hand replacing it with his own over the wound. It felt strange, like the pain was melting away, but shocked over what he saw. He was closing the wound right before his eyes.

"Relax!" He said, "I'm helping you."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that." Gear squeaked. _He has to be a bang-baby, _he thought.

He lifted his hand revealing a fully healed Gear, then jumped on a building top and yelled, "Armor of Halo!" followed by a green flash.

Static was getting exhausted fighting off all the foot soldiers when he retreated to the sky, "Man! There's got to be an easier way of doing this!"

"T H O U N D E R B O L T CUT!" The streets and the community center lit up with a brilliant light.

Static shielded his eyes, and as the light died down lowered his arms and found the streets empty, trashed, but empty. He turned to the community center and it was in shambles. "Well that… helped." One of the front doors fell off its hinges and he winced.

Static turned to the adjacent building seeing another only more impressive samurai armor, and this one did have a person inside. Layers of armor, forest green from the knee up and black spikes lined over then shins; white thighs; flaps covering the side of the legs; green briefs, stomach; black pecks, with a lightening insignia over the left; green shoulder guards; white biceps; forearm to the hands were green; the helmet of course green with silver face shield, and two golden horns that resembled blades. Last he was hefting a really long sword over his shoulder in a batters pose.

After having realized that he was staring Virgil asked, "Do I… know you?"

"Not exactly," He said.

"Who are you?"

"You'll know soon enough." He jumped away.

"Hey! Static!" Gear yelled.

"Gear?"

"What happened?"

"This armored dude showed up. He helped!"

"Get down here I feel stupid yelling like this!"

This is my first Static Shock Fic so Please be nice in your reviews. Oh yeah and please Review! This has just been edited…again, and I based the Halo armor decryption off my action figure. .o


	2. More?

A/N: I don't own Static Shock or the Ronin Warriors, there I said it.

On to the story: More?

"I'm tellin' you Virgil!" Richie said as they were walking down the school hall, of course before school. "He is the Light, You know just like you said Sage of the Halo! He was wearing some kind of samurai armor!"

"Richie I'm not even sure what happened," Virgil said shrugging his backpack his onto his shoulders, "I just know you were supposedly stabbed, that guy in green showed up and he looked nothing like Mr. Date, the community center was wrecked and all the armored guys disappeared, and then you show up as if nothing happened."

"Remember I said he healed me!"

"Yeah but..." Virgil stopped for a moment, "It's just too confusing you also said his clothes changed like he somehow transformed into it or something."

"Hey it's not too difficult to believe remember Adam does it all the time when he's Rubber bandman."

"Well yeah but he's a Bang baby."

"There's no convincing you is there?"

"Excuse me."

"Ah!" Richie was caught off guard,

"Sorry," Said a blue haired guy, "but do either of you know where Sage Date is?"

"You know it's not nice to sneak up on people like that!"

"Ha you sound just like him!"

"Do you mean Mr. Date?" Virgil asked, "That's weird doesn't seem the type to get scared easily, he's in room 316, now that guy is scary. I've been there in detention so much it's given me nightmares." Shivers, "Don't know anyone who'd want to be his friend."

"Oh so you must be his favorite student."

"I really hope you're being sarcastic."

"Sorry, he does that all time to his students, well thanks a lot." And walks off.

"Why would anybody be looking for Mr. Date?" Richie asked then gasped, "What if he's another one of them?"

"Richie..." Said Virgil.

"Yes?"

"How many cups of coffee did you have this morning?"

"Uh... Well...actually..." Richie rubbed the back of his neck as if to search for the answer there. "I never got to sleep."

"How many?"

"Only seven."

"Seven!" Virgil looked shocked.

"Hey that's two fewer then what I usually have for my all-nighters."

"Over achiever!" Virgil walked away.

"At least I'm not teachers pet." Richie followed.

"Great." Virgil stopped at the corner of the hall. "Look who's here..."

"Hotstreak!"

"Oh well at least he's not in any of my classes."

"Lucky you. Oh well hopefully he's not in P.E. today."

They continued on to wonder the halls until the bell rang then headed to the class they dared not to ditch, last time they did they were both put in detention. The guy from earlier was just exiting the classroom and still talking to Mr. Date, "well see you later Sage, and quit giving out so much homework."

"Say hi to Mia for me." Sage smiled, "and quit giving her a hard time."

"Bye." He looked at Virgil and Richie, "see you around Virgil and Richie." The blue haired guy left.

"How did he?" Richie looked shocked.

"Let's get this over with." Virgil walked in.

Richie sat next to the window, his eyes wide open and staring off into space. Virgil waved his hand in front of him and shrugged, must've fallen asleep with his eyes open again, he thought. Then an evil idea popped in his head and charged up his pinky and...

"Ah! I'm awake!" Richie jumped in his desk getting a few laughs.

"See that is stays that way." Said Mr. Date turning back around to the chalk bored and stopped as his eye widen looking out the window.

Virgil quietly giggled.

"Ha ha very funny." He said turning to Virgil.

"Get down!" Mr. Date yelled as the windows shattered and foot soldiers entered the classrooms through the windows.

The students ran screaming and fleeing to the halls, the school was in chaos all over. Some of them escaped making it outside while others were trapped as the foot soldiers blocked every other way out. A few of the boys escaped from the restroom windows as well as some girls but they didn't get too far and were surrounded. Richie and Virgil were still in class back to back with each other not sure of what to do.

"Well?" Richie said, "What do we do?"

"That's what I should be asking you," Virgil Whispered.

"Mr. Date and a few others are still here so we can't change into Static and Gear, and you can't use your powers either."

"Now we have you brats surrounded." Said a soldier.

Mr. Date threw a desk knocking some of them over, "Get out of here!" He yelled holding his side pulling a muscle, "Go!"

"And you?" Richie yelled and glared.

"Just go!"

"Come on!" Virgil pulled him along and shoved a soldier blocking the doorway freeing them and the rest of the class. "We'll come back for him later!" He shocked and blasted a few of the foot soldiers running oppisite of all the other students and brought the two to the girl's locker room.

"The girls locker room?" Richie looked around, "so this is what it looks like."

"Wow!" Virgil also looked around then shook his head, "come on!"

"Right!"

In no time Static and Gear ran through the halls trying to get rid of the foot soldiers without hurting any of their fellow students. They barely missed Hotstreaks fireball coming at them through one hallway. After it disappeared they looked back at it seeing puddles of metal on the floor.

"Hotstreaks temper must be flaring again," Said Static then looked up seeing the double doors to freedom and a puddle right in front of it. "A way out!" Static took out his disk unfolding it and flew over, with really good reflexes he held his hand out stopping a few chains and spears.

"Static!" Gear yelled, "Open the door!"

Static did as told and the doors flung open then carefully aimed the weapons back at the foot soldiers and fired. They dropped to the floor and the trapped students ran to safety or so they thought...

"F L A R E U P NOW!" a line of fire threatened to cook them.

"Hey!" Static held up a barrier around all of them protecting the students, and then he gathered them in a force field flying off to safety. "Are all ya'll all right?"

"Yeah." Said Omar a bit shaken up as they landed on a near by roof.

"Get out of here before it gets worse!" Static returned to the school and saw another Armored guy only this time his armor's red and his mask wasn't even on.

Gear skated around the halls with a bunch of foot soldiers chasing after him then ended up in a science room, he smirked as they stared blankly at them and yelled, "Backpack now!" backpack dropped down from the ceiling breaking a tank and hurried over to Gears back as he jumped out the window. "That acid should slow them down." He landed on the schools roof.

"A R R O W SHOCKWAVE!"

Gear shocked himself when he caught the arrow, "How the?" He saw someone off in the distance with dark blue armor. He shrugged and ducked when someone from behind him told him to, another person in the same type of armor fended off the foot soldiers on the roof then turned to Gear, his face was covered with a mask so Gear couldn't even tell who it was.

"Get out of here!" Said the guy in Green armor. "Well take it from here!"

"Hey you need our help!" Said Gear.

"It's you again!" Static landed, "your friends showed up. Mind tellin' us why you're here?"

"Just get the students out of here as quick as possible." The Guy in Green explained, "they are in danger if they stay here long. We'll take care of the sentries out here."

Static and Gear looked at each other and with no argument nodded once then jumped off the roof and into the school. Static flew through the halls and stopped in front of the Janitors closet and blew the door open taking the Garbage collecting cart out and flew through the halls collecting as many students as he could in it. Gear pretty much distracted the "sentries" while Static did his part.

Of all the places to drop off the students Static flew all the way to the mall and dropped off the load then flew all the way back to the school for another. Then he ran into Hotstreak.

"All right now for the real challenge." Hotstreak said tossing a fireball in hand.

"This is not a good time right now!" Static was about to pass by him when out of nowhere this torrent flushed them down the hall and into the cafeteria, they sat up coughing and wheezing. Static snapped his fingers to see if he could get a charge and only got a spark, "No!"

"I hate water!" Hotstreak got to his feet then looked down and noticed something really embarrassing and looked around finding his pants on top of a vending machine. Static was laughing seeing this, "Hey if you tell this to anyone I swear I will kill you and your little sidekick!" He stormed off to go retrieve them.

Static grabbed his disk on the way out and returned to the hallway and ran around in search of Gear hoping he had a Zap cap on him so he could recharge his power. He took out his shock box and called up Gear, "Gear you there?"

"_Gear here what's up?"_

"I was just shorted out I need a Zap cap!"

"_Get to the music room," _Static heard a window shatter, _"I just threw one in hurry!"_

Moments later Static entered the room and found it on the teachers' piano and charged up and resumed with collecting the students. When he was done he saw the doors to the school swing open Hotstreak was the last to leave the grounds grumbling and cursing to himself. Gear met him in the sky and reported that there were no more students in the school.

"O.k." Said Static, "But where do these things keep coming from?" He looked down and saw the sentries, "Seems like they've quadrupled."

"Backpack," Gear commanded, "Locate the source of where these sentries are coming from." Then received his information, "No way!"

"What?"

"There are a three portals on the school grounds,"

"How did backpack find it?"

"I had Backpack look for the same type of metal that I was studying, there is one in the gym and another in the guys' locker room, whew good thing we didn't go in there, and there's another... right below us?"

They looked confused and looked down, the sentries were popping out of thin air but from the same area. Suddenly another torrent of water blasted away the newcomers and the portal.

"O.k. now that makes two." Gear corrected.

"Look!" Static pointed to the Green one they where talking to earlier. "He could use some help."

The Green one raised his sword with some difficulty and an armored foot connected to his chest and fist to his back. He dropped his sword and was punched multiple times before hitting the wall and going unconscious on the floor. Static and Gear trashed the sentries beating up on the Green one and checked him. Gear was hesitant not even sure how to tell he was still alive then reached the neck the only visible spot for a pulse. To their surprise the mask of the helmet retracted up.

"Huh?" Static looked confused.

"A retractable mask." Gear proceeded to take the helmet off. The two were shocked to see who it was as the hair fell in place and gasped.

"Mr. Date?" They said in unison.

"I told you!" Said Richie.

"Hey!" A voice from above got their attention.

Static flew up and found a guy in orange armor waiting for him. "So you're the one calling all of the evil dudes out."

"Not me."

"Liar!" He shouted and readied his strange weapon, "I R O N! –"

"Hey!" Static used his power to take the weapon from him and held it in his hands, "didn't your mother ever tell to never play with sharp objects?"

"Didn't yours ever tell you to never steal?"

"Hm?" Static thought about it then "She also never told to run around scissors," turned and yelled, "Gear! Let's get out here and grab the teacher!" Static flew off taking the strange weapon with him.

"Hey!" The Orange guy watched as the two flew off.

Gear and Static finally made it to the gas station and once inside set Mr. Date on the counter. Gear removed the helmet again and set it near by. Then thought for a moment.

"What?" Static was curious to know what he was thinking.

"His armor..." There was a long pause.

"Yeah... what about it?"

"Well I was just wondering if it was different compared to those armored things attacking the school." Gear gets excited, "I can't wait to run tests on it!"

"What? It's his armor, we can just do stuff to it."

"Oh, "Gear's excitement left, "yeah your right, guess we have nothing to do but wait."

"Good thing it's Friday." Virgil flopped down on the sofa, "I'm going to sleep." And snored away. In the meantime Gear picked up the helmet and looked at it.

About an hour later Virgil was up and out side playing with the strange new weapon, it had two small blades at one end of the staff like pinchers and another blade on the other end like a hook. He thought it was kind of weird when he all ready knew how to use it until it fell apart and panicked to put it pull it back together again. It didn't make sense to him, it was like one of those fall apart toy horses that stay connected with a string but he couldn't figure out how to straiten out again.

Inside Richie was tinkering around with Backpack when Mr. Date awoke still in armor and became alarmed when he realized he was still in armor but his helmet was missing. Then sat up and startled Richie when he asked, "Where am I?"

"Your awake?" Richie quickly stood up, "Your safe at our hang out." He was a bit embarrassed to say.

"A gas station?" he saw Richie blush and look down, "Where's my helmet?"

"Oh," Richie retrieved it from a nearby counter. "Right here." And held it out in front of him.

Mr. Date hopped off the counter and took his helmet then transformed back into his normal clothes. "So you know. Where is Virgil?"

"Outside playing with that weird staff."

"What staff."

"Richie!" Virgil yelled just as they came out the door, "I broke it!"

"You what?"

Virgil turned around and stood horrified as Mr. Date was up and walking. "I swear I didn't mean to it was an accident!"

"You took Kento's weapon!"

"Kento?" Virgil was a bit confused on as to who that was. "This one guy in-"Virgil was cut off.

"Orange armor?" Mr. Date finished his sentence, "I can't believe you stole his weapon."

"Hey if he was going to do anything like the guy in red armor he would've destroyed the whole school."

"We had no intention of destroying the school just the soldiers invading it!"

"We?" Richie stepped back confused.

"My self and the other Ronins. You met one of them before school."

"O.k. so that's the reason why you're here." Said Virgil, "Those things followed you and your friends brought more."

"No! I came here in search of something," He glared at Virgil, "I may have found it but it's still debatable at the moment, and I won't know for sure until I meet up with the others. But before I go I need that staff back."

"Uh?" Virgil looked down, "It's kind of broken."

Mr. Date snatched it and in his hands it straightened out on it's own then he professionally twirled it around and stopped pointed it between Virgil's eyes, "it's not broken it's just in the wrong hands." The staffs' ends fell and he folded it up. "I'll be returning this."

Virgil and Richie looked shocked for a moment and Virgil spoke, "How'd you do that?"

"If green is the light then what was the orange one?" Richie asked.

"How do you know about that?" Mr. Date looked over shoulder.

"I was studying it for a while over the Internet, then I was trying to look up some stuff in class when you interrupted me. I still never got my response over the internet."

"That was you?" Mr. Date walked off. "If I'm right..."

"If your right about what?" Virgil asked.

"Grab your stuff and follow me and bring your Static and Gear costumes."

"How did he know?"

A moment later they were on the city bus, the last thing Virgil wanted was to be seen in public with the worst teacher to walk the face of the Earth, but out of curiosity he went along. Luckily for him Mr. Date let him carry the staff in his backpack, the three of them agreed it would be highly unusual to see a staff with tree blades on it in a public place

Right when they got off near the outskirts of town Virgil asked, "So how did you know who we are?"

"It was pretty obvious," Mr. Date said, "the two of you are inseparable, only rarely do I see you two apart then I managed to get a good look at you two when Richie was stabbed."

"Hey I told you not to take off his mask!"

"But he didn't." Said Richie.

"As I was saying," Mr. Date continued, "I sized you two up which was a bit hard for me to tell if it was Richie or not because of your usual baggy dressing. The masks don't really help much, I also knew it was you two because of your voices. The hair was another dead giveaway."

"Not even our families are able to tell that easily."

"Where are we going anyway?" Virgil asked.

"To meet with the others." Mr. Date replied. "Mia has a bit of money to spend so she likes to stay close to the out doors in a cabin." He said just as they entered a forest.

After a while of uncomfortable silence Virgil and Richie stopped as they heard a low growl. They both looked around for it's source but couldn't find one.

"Where's that coming from?" Virgil asked.

"Oh I forgot to warn you," Said Mr. Date, "Ryo has a white tiger around here."

"A what?"

"But," Started Richie, "White tigers can't live out here, it completely the wrong environment."

Just as he said that Mr. Date ducked as the White tiger jumped out and pinned the two teens then lowered his head to their faces. Both where too scared to move then it stared licking Virgil, he couldn't help but laugh and pushed the tiger back. The white tiger got off of them and ran off.

"Great just what I needed," Said Virgil sitting up and tried to wipe off the tiger slobber.

"That was Whiteblaze." Said Mr. Date offering a helping hand.

"Big kitty." Said Richie taking the hand. "Anything we should know about it?" He picked up his backpack.

"Yeah just one: If you don't know where to go just follow the white tiger and the tiger in white armor." He jumped and snatched Virgil's backpack and disappeared into the trees.

"No! Wait!" Virgil stood up, "He took my gear!"

"No," Said Richie, "He only meant to get that weird staff."

"What do you think he meant by follow the white tiger?"

A few arrows came threateningly close to Richie's head and hit a nearby tree. "I think I know." Said someone in dark blue armor holding a golden bow, then reached back for an arrow and took aim again.

"RUN!" They yelled and ran away. They were lucky to have missed all the arrows and saw the white tiger then Richie tripped.

"Richie!" Virgil stopped and went back for his friend, "Come on!"

Richie got up with Virgil's help then shoved Virgil away letting a line of fire pass them, "You all right V?"

"Uh yeah..." He said a bit shaken up and looked around, "no we lost the tiger!" He got up and the two continued to run.

They looked around and couldn't see anything but forest, then tumbled down a hill into a few bushes. A ball of fire passed just above them then a guy in red armor looked around and jumped into the trees.

"Hey V if we don't think of something quick we could whined up dead," Said Richie.

"Yeah I know." he thought about it, "what about Backpack."

"AH I get it use Backpack as a decoy." Richie took off his school backpack and lifted his sweater where Backpack was hiding and crawled off and into the forest.

"You wear Backpack under your sweater?"

Richie shrugged and ordered Backpack to climb up a tree and look around then climbed even higher the branch it perched on was cut by the same guy then Static jumped out and with his power held him in the air.

"Hey!" The guy in red armor struggled to move, "put me down!"

"If you say so." Static threw him off in the distance. "Well that's one down and how many more are there?" He turned around and caught an arrow. "Haven't done that before." He tossed the arrow away.

"Let's see you do that a second time." Said the guy in dark blue.

"Hey it's you!" Richie jumped up out of the bushes, "We saw you before school and you tried to shoot me!"

"A R R O W SHOCKWAVE!" The arrow made contact with the ground sending the two flying.

"This guy has to have a weakness somewhere," Said Richie. "Backpack!" Richie got up and ran as his machine hitched a ride on him. Then stopped, "Virgil!"

"There armor is made out of metal what's stop me from doing the same to him as the other guy." Virgil tried to get him but the blue guy was too fast and he kept missing.

Richie searched his school bag for a cap then the guy in red stepped up in front of him and Richie looked up. "Uh-oh." Richie just jumped back flinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"Did you really think you could get rid of me that easily?" The Red one smirked.

"Uh... Virgil?" Richie took a step back just as the Red guy took one forward. "Virg!"

"I'm a bit busy." Said Virgil still trying to get the Blue one.

"Fine!" Richie just reached into this backpack and accidentally threw a zap cap, "Whoops that's wasn't what I wanted." Bring the Red one to his knees, "But it worked."

The Red Guy got back up and Virgil rammed him, "Trade you!"

"I have a better idea." Said Richie. "how about we try to stick together on this!" He winked.

"Good idea." Virgil nodded, and they ran in opposite directions getting one to follow the other. Virgil slid to a stop and turned around then held his hands out stopping the blue one and sent him back and the blue collided back to back with the Red. "Good friends do stick together."

"What the Hell?" The red tried to move his arm but pulled the blue one's back. "I can barely move my arm!"

"Hey that hurt!" The blue tried to step forward pulling the red ones back. "Ah I can't move!"

"The plan worked!" said Richie. "Now we just have to disarm them."

"Right." Virgil agreed then took the bow, "Here Richie put it in your backpack!"

"Got the swords!" Richie said.

"Hey give those back!" the Red guy yelled as the two ran off then tried to go after them and leaned forward.

"Ryo don't!" The blue one yelled and fell back hard.

Richie was still running and at the same time attempting to put away the weapons then he abruptly stopped bumping into Virgil. "Hey we found the tiger again!"

"Looks different." Virgil got a better look, "Even the tiger has armor!" Virgil watched it run off and disappear. "Come on!" Virgil and Richie followed.

"T H U N D E R B O L T CUT!"

"Richie look out!" Virgil crashed into him and the two fell down a hole.

"What the heck was that?" Richie asked hysterical.

"Like you said Sage of the Halo. Come on let's get out of here."

They grabbed a few vines and pulled themselves out. Richie was out first and ducked a long blade dodging everyway it went and jumped over it, "What are you trying to do? Kill us?"

"I'm only testing a theory." Said Mr. Date again clad in his green armor.

"There it is!" Virgil yelled, "the tiger."

"Got my hands full." Said Richie and dodged the sword again but Backpack suffered the loss of a limb. "Ah! Backpack!"

Virgil pulled Richie along and barely missed the blade cutting off a dread, "That was close!" Virgil could hear Mr. Date calling his ultimate attack then turned around a little late but still managed to deflect the attack by shooting lightening a lightening bolt of his own.

"Lucky shot!" Richie commented.

"Can't this tiger lead us to a place to rest?" Said Virgil and as if the tiger could knew what he was saying it led them to a cave where they took shelter and caught their breath. "Hey Richie... how long have we been running for?"

"Don't know." He lie down on his stomach, "I know that we can't rest for too long."

"How'd you do that?"

"I don't even know." He got up to all four, "I guess when you're in trouble you just follow your instincts."

They rested for a half hour and made a run for it but couldn't find the tiger anywhere. Then the staff Virgil had earlier twirled through the air and someone caught it, "I R O N R O C K CRUSHER!"

Virgil made a barrier around them and were caught in the blast. "It's him again!" Virgil did his best in holding up his shield.

"Cye now!" The Orange guy yelled.

"Virgil Stop!" Richie yelled getting a good look at a Baby Blue armor and a strange looking trident.

"What?" Virgil's temple and nose were bleeding and he was loosing energy fast.

"Water!" Richie shouted, "Lots and lost of water!"

"S U P E R W A V E SMASHER!" the torrent of water shorted out Virgil and knocked him and Richie into a near by lake.

Richie looked up as the he could see the sun shining through the water and blacked out.

Good? Bad? What? Please give me feed back on this!


	3. You Really Expect us to Believe That?

A/N: think the last chapter was bad for Virgil and Richie? Well maybe things may lighten up just a bit.

You Expect Us To Believe That?

"Huh? What happened?" Virgil awoke, "How long have I been out?"

"Two weeks." Said a man with a British ascent, he had brunet hair and carried a tray.

"Two weeks?!" Virgil sat up.

The brunet chuckled, "just messin' with you. You've only been asleep for only two hours. Sorry about shorting you out but you did give some very bad feedback."

"Shorting me out?" Virgil thought for a moment, "It was you Richie tried to warn me about. Reminds me where is Richie?"

"Oh your friend," The brunet stepped out of the way revealing Richie on another bed across the room, "still sleeping. You two were doing just great until you lost Whiteblaze."

"Who are you?"

"Oh sorry I've been rude haven't I?" Said the brunet putting down the tray. "I'm Cye."

"Let me guess Torrent?"

"Right," Cye smiled, "I take it after Sage healed you two you were shocked to know he had that ability. Either that or it was the fact the two of you ran off into a tree when you saw us again. It's a rather comical sight to see two teenagers to do."

"Not cool being hunted down you know."

"Yeah I know I've been through something like that."

"Ah!" Richie awoke startled.

"Well I see he's up." Cye took the glasses from the tray and handed them to Richie, "Here you go."

Richie reached out and took them and put them on. "Where are we?" He looked around, "and where's Backpack?"

"All of your things are here."

"No my mechanical Backpack!"

"Oh that, Rowan is fixing it right now, he felt bad about it. It took up a lot of water and he wanted to see if any other damage was done to it and repair it."

"What?" Richie couldn't believe that someone would really touch his piece of work and tamper with it. "But he might mess something up or..."

"It's all right. He loves technical stuff, he can easily repair anything."

"That's not what I mean!"

"Hey Cye," Virgil got his attention, "got anything to eat around here?"

"Sure, I'll be back in a moment" then opened the door and Backpack crawled in. "Oh look seems Rowan's all ready done."

Virgil got up and stretched and Richie stared at his robot crawling over to him and climbed up and positioning itself on Richie's back. He looked a bit confused and turned to Cye, "Uh Cye what exactly does this Rowan guy do for a living?"

"Rowan?" Cye thought for a moment, "I think he's a technical engineer or something like that."

"Where is he? I'd like to talk to him about how he fixed Backpack."

"He and Sage are in the living room, I'll have lunch ready soon. Oh and don't distract Mia she's still working on getting that poem interpretation done."

They followed Cye out of the room and found their teacher and his friend sitting on the sofas. Cye proceeded to the kitchen and Virgil and Richie paused in the hallway, Virgil pushed Richie ahead of him so that he would go first, then Richie swerved around behind Virgil pushing him ahead of him. They were afraid to meet with their teacher and continued the process until they tripped. That was embarrassing, as they looked up and saw Mr. Date looking over his shoulder at the two then turned forward again. They picked each other up and Rowan looked up and waved.

"Hey so it made it back to you just fine," Said Rowan, "quiet a complicated little machine you have there. Where did you get it?"

"Backpack?" Richie was about to take a seat on a recliner when Virgil almost threw him next to Mr. Date. "I made it." Richie straightened out.

"A kid your age made that? Seems a bit farfetched."

"Well I did." Richie saw a sword come down on him from a guy in strange armor with a red mask then shook his head and was back in the living room with the others. "What was that?"

"I was wondering where you Ronins were hiding."

They turned to the front door.

"Great." Mr. Date took off his glasses pinching the bridge of his nose. "What do you want Cale?"

"I missed you too Halo," Said Cale, he had a few scars on his face and messed up blue hair. Then he looked at Virgil and Richie rather odd as he walked in. "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

"Me?" Said Virgil, "I don't think so."

"Now I remember Taka."

"Uh..." Virgil shook his head, "Haven't been there before."

"No, it's not a place he was the first Ronin warrior about a thousand years ago. He first stopped Talpa banishing him to the nether realm. Taka lived in Africa."

"And how would you know something like that Cale?" Said Mr. Date setting his glasses down on the coffee table.

"For one I'm older than you." Cale said rather childish, "and you the other blond are the recent one."

"What are you talking about sir?" Asked Richie.

"I've seen you six hundred years ago, in Europe, your name was Bartholomew you failed to bring Talpa down and your soul was split in two after you died." He saw Richie turn pale. "I thought that you were the incarnation of Taka, still a possibility."

"What are you talking about Cale?" Mr. Date asked.

"My soul was split in two in my previous life..." Richie sounded upset.

"Quit scaring the kids Cale." Said Rowan

"Yeah we all ready have Mr. Date to do that." Said Virgil.

"How many names do you have Halo?" Cale asked. "Sage, Cyclops, Halo, Scary eyes, now Mr. Date?"

Virgil and Richie couldn't help but laugh at the names, finally a few names they can call him during class. Rowan was glad that they were amused it broke the ice a little. Mr. Date however let it slide and gave Cale a creepy smile that even made him cringe. Then Cye walked out of the kitchen and noticed Cale.

"O.k. so what do we owe the honor?"

"I only came to check on you Ronins." Said Cale putting an arm around Cye's shoulders.

"Remember to take it out side."

"Shall we Halo?"

Mr. Date got up, "the sooner the better." He reached into his pocket for his marble, and led the way outside. Cale had a goofy smile on his face as he waited for his name to be called out, "Cale! Not funny!"

"Hole?" Rowan asked.

"Tar." Cale replied and went outside.

"Ah." Rowan nodded.

"What was that?" Virgil asked.

"Oh that they do this all the time. Cale challenges Sage but plays a trick on him first then they fight. It's really funny on how they can't stand each other." He turned to Richie, "Think you could tell me about that machine of yours."

Richie got excited and started explaining everything and Rowan listened, Cye shook his head and turned to Virgil, "Can you go and get Ryo, Kento, and Mia and tell them lunch is ready."

"A bit late for lunch don't you think?" Said Virgil and saw Cye shrug then left anyway not wanting to get bored by Richie's and Rowan's conversation. Virgil looked around the rooms opening every single door then found Ryo and Kento at a computer, "Hey," He got their attention, "Um Cye said that lunch is ready."

"Oh," Said the guy with wild black hair then walk to the door, "It's about time," He put a hand on Virgil's shoulder, "You did quiet well taking away our weapons so that we'd be a little helpless to come after you. Way to utilize your power to stop us a few times. By the way I'm Ryo." He said and walked out the door.

The other guy was a bit chubby and still remained in the chair leaning back. "So your Static?" He said, "Did you have fun with my weapon?"

"Uh..." Virgil looked down, "Sorry for taking it in the first place I thought you were going to destroy the school." He look back up, "Mr. Date told me that all of you were trying to save it." He said a bit disappointed.

"Ah to be young again" He said, "and hope that one day something would come by and wreck the school so you wouldn't have to go anymore. Those were the days. Well your forgiven. I'm Kento."

"Cool, what's that." Virgil pointed at the laptop.

"Oh this?" Kento dropped all four legs of the chair to the ground, "It's Sages computer, Ryo had to ask to use so I could play on it. We were just on the Internet looking up some stuff. Sage won't let me on it because he's afraid I might wreck it. I only crashed it once with Whiteblaze."

"What?" Virgil looked at him

"Uh... you didn't hear that."

"Does this have the grades on it?" Virgil pointed

"Oh so you want to change your grade well..." Kento went into the file but it had a password on it, "not a problem his passwords HALO and..." Access was granted, "we're in."

"Hey!" Virgil looked at his Grade, "a D? But I turned all my stuff in." He looked at his file and found a few assignments missing. "I turned those in! And that."

"What are you two doing?"

They froze and slowly looked over their shoulders and there was Mr. Date with his arms folded across his chest. Virgil knew that pose all too well and it meant that they were in trouble.

"Uh Sage!" Said Kento laughing nervously then pointed, "He did it!"

"What?" Virgil looked confused, "He knew your password!"

"I don't blame you Virgil." Mr. Date closed the laptop.

"You don't?" Now Virgil was really confused.

"No I blame Kento for tricking me into letting him fool around on here. Try checking your bag for those missing assignments, I'll accept them late but you will lose some points for the tardiness of them."

"Uh right." Said Virgil running off and ran back to where his Backpack was and checked inside finding all of his missing assignments, most of them incomplete or not even touched. "So they were in here." Suddenly he saw himself in purple armor ready to face off against someone in a strange armor, then he shook his head and found him self back in the room, "O.k. that was weird."

Virgil and Richie joined the other's in a rather interesting meal not even sure of what they were eating. Richie and Rowan were still talking about Backpacks construction while Virgil listened in to the others. It still made him a bit uneasy to be in the same room with that teacher even more that he was sitting next to him.

"I believe I may have failed to mention that the other ex-dark warlords will be coming." Said Cale, "Now you can't say I didn't warn you."

"Not another visit from Seckmet." Said Cye.

"What so bad about them?" Virgil asked.

"Not much unless if you like to see grown men fight with silverware then come after you and try to impale you with a spoon."

"Dais only did that once to that stupid tiger." Said Cale.

"Hey that's my stupid tiger you're talking about!" Said Ryo. Whiteblaze raised his head feeling offened.

"O.k." Said Virgil. "Mind telling me what exactly is going on." He changed the subject, "I know that these sentries are a big problem in Dakota, Richie is obsessing over the whole Ronin warrior stuff, we find that you're them and the teacher tries to kill us."

"I didn't try to kill you or Richie!" Mr. Date narrowly yelled.

"Then what were you doing?"

"Testing a theory." He said more calm.

"A theory that nearly killed us!"

"It was just a test."

"A test? ... Did we pass?"

"It's still not certain." Said Mia, "You survived."

"So we weren't supposed to?"

"No that's not it, the one who we are looking for had the power of electricity and was supposed to also be a genius. The test was to see which one that was but the both of you displayed the right characteristics. Death was far from this test."

"I don't get it why are you looking for someone with those characteristic?" Richie asked.

Everyone else looked at each other and then Mr. Date spoke up, "According to a recent poem Mia stumbled onto there should be another warrior here in America, someone who could control lightening seemed impossible until I followed you two. The both of you matched the characteristics perfectly, which brings us to this current situation. Also while I was here I checked a few of the national parks and found an armor in the depths of a cave under Dakota only I wasn't able to move it. Luckily Talpa hasn't found it."

"So you are a dumb blond," Said Cale, "If we know about it then so does Talpa and I speak from experience."

"What do we have to do with the Armor?" Said Richie.

"Mia..." Mr. Date handed over his laptop he was carrying to keep it way from Kento.

Mia entered the right file and turned it around for Virgil and Richie to see. "It's all right here, although I haven't been able to decipher it."

Virgil read it aloud and started speaking a different language then looked around at everyone confused, "What?"

"Hey V I didn't know you could speak another language." Said Richie.

"What? I was just reading what it said on there. Kind of weird though I can read it I just don't get it."

"What?"

"You read it."

"It's a text I'm not familiar with but it's strange that it does look familiar."

"Here." Mr. Date took the laptop and opened another file, "Try reading that." He turned the laptop back and allowed Richie to read it. Virgil also read but in silence.

Richie was also reading it in another language and fumbled with some of his words then he realized, "It's Celtic. How can I read it if its Celtic?"

"It's the same exact thing I read." Said Virgil, "Just... a different language. What is this anyway? How come we can read this when we've never seen it before?"

"There are other tests." Said a voice. And everyone turned to a silver haired man with an eye patch. "Have you taken them outside to wield your weapons?"

"What?" Richie and Virgil turned around, "Who are you?"

"Well if it isn't Taka and Bartholomew. So this is the end result of failing against Talpa. You were fortunate to be reborn during such a time."

"There are those names again," Said Richie, "Are you talking about reincarnation?"

"Precisely."

"I don't believe in that." Both Virgil and Ritchie said at the same time, then looked at each other. "You just said what I said. What the! Hey stop that!"

"See what you've done Dais!" Said Kento.

"I didn't do anything!" Said Dais.

"What did he do?" They asked.

"I know how to put a stop to this," Said Rowan.

"Rowan don't bother," Said Mr. Date, "their interests are exactly the same."

"O.k. then," Kento asked, "How did Slugman get his radioactive power?"

Virgil and Richie remained silent waiting for the other to answer then spoke up at the same time. "He ate a seed already contaminated by the chemical."

"I told you." Said Mr. Date.

"What I'd like to know is why that machine was the only one working in the area?" Said Rowan, "All of the other modern day technology refused to function properly."

"We notice that too." They said, "It doesn't make sense, but that's probably because I/Richie had Backpack look for the same type/kind of metal that they were made of."

"Well it seems to be wearing off." Said Mr. Date.

"What I want to know is can they remember to fight the same way as they could in their previous life." Said a guy with green hair and Strangely beady eyes.

"Are all of you rock stars because you all have weird looking and colorful hair?" They asked.

"No." Said Cale, "But that would be nice if we could even hold a guitar."

Mr. Date stood up, "Ryo we're going to need your swords and see if they can use them properly."

"All right." Ryo agreed.

"Cool!" They said.

Later outside Ryo was fully clad in his red armor and handed them his twin Kitanas and the two took rather professional stances then Ryo turned to Mr. Date, "Hey Sage why don't you start them off since you're their teachers."

Mr. Date stepped forward and Ryo joined his friends, "All right the two of you are to attack each other and no holding back. Whether or not if you injured you continue fighting until I say to stop, don't worry about your injuries I'll take care of that later, All right?"

"Got it." They said.

"Begin!" Mr. Date stepped back.

Virgil and Richie pointed their swords at each other and circled then Richie stepped up and raised his blade and Virgil's clashed with his. They kept the blade facing the other person and parried with the flats of the sword. They both cut each other's right cheek and then got each other on the left arm simultaneously at the same time. The longer they fought the more skilled they became and felt like they knew what they were doing. After an hour and a broken pair of glasses Mr. Date called it.

"That's enough!" Mr. Date shouted.

"Aw but we were just having fun!" They wined falling to one knee and breathing heavily. "I have only just a few cuts and bruises."

"I think I know what is going on. As annoying as you two sound you both are the balance."

"What?" Said the others.

"Sage what do you mean?" Asked Ryo.

"It may be that the story the darkworlords-"Mr. Date was interrupted.

"Ex-Dark warlords!" Cale interrupted.

"Fine ex-darkwarlords were saying maybe true. In going by that story even without any knowledge of how to use a sword these two may have all ready mastered it and skills they have never even know before right?"

"Right," They said.

"If they did lose the battle to Talpa then the reason for both being in this time is to have another fight. Since they were once one being they carry deep within them the knowledge of combat and a way to get rid of Talpa once and for all."

"But we don't remember any of the past life stuff."

"No of course not."

"Supercalifradulisticespialidocous."

"Uh?" Mr. Date looked a bit confused, and cleared his throat "Still trying to break that talking at the same time thing." He said more as a statement.

"Yeah!" They looked down.

"I wonder if this machine was able to record all of that." Said Rowan wearing Backpack.

An hour later Virgil and Richie agreed on being in separate rooms to break the whole talking at the same time thing, actually it was Mr. Date who suggested it. Richie stuck with Rowan wanting to be enlightened in Rowans technical world and Virgil hung around Kento.

"Why me?" Kento asked.

"Mr. Date still scares me!"

"So you're his favorite student." He commented.

"Why do all of you keep saying that? I can tell he hates me."

"Sage does this all the time," Kento pulled a box out a closet and threw it on the floor. "These are all of his past yearbooks. He doesn't know that I go snooping inside his closet for stuff."

"What's a yearbook?" Cale walked into the room.

"A sir, are you all right?" Virgil asked as he opened the box. "I can barely read it. It looks familiar what year is this?"

"I don't know, but most of all his past students like to write death threats in them. He has um in every single one and for each one he gets a "thank you" e-mail a year or two later, and puts them back in the yearbooks. But during the school year he'd get challenge to fight by some students and after school they'd go to his family dojo and the student would normally learn their lesson."

"Ha!" Said Cale, "So I'm not the only one to threaten Halo's life!"

"Why do you keep calling him Halo and who are you?"

"I am known as the Dark Warlord of Corruption and Decay and the demon of Darkness I am Cale. Halo's immortal enemy."

"Isn't that mortal enemy?" Virgil corrected.

"No because I am immortal." Cale snorted, "ha! Mortals."

Virgil raised a brow, "You seriously need help."

"Come quickly!" Mia appeared in the doorway, "I may need you and your friends help in interpreting this last part."

Virgil and Richie stood in front of Mia's rather old computer and red it in silence:

"The warrior of a thousand years ago fought the battle against Talpa banishing him to the realm between the dead the and the living. Centuries passed and the warrior appeared again reborn in the new land and by a new name as the chaos of Talpa was unleashed once more. Determined to rid him of existence, the warrior created a new weapon with a new hope and battled. With the last of his strength the warrior had won but not without his soul having been destroyed by the very weapon he had created in the hands of his enemy. Through the mystery of caverns and under pillars of concrete the armor of the warrior sleeps until the child of great intelligence and controller of lightening appear."

"Cool." Was Virgil's reaction.

"I think I'm gunna be sick." Richie held his stomach and dashed off to go find a bathroom.

"What does it say?" Mia asked.

"It says where the armor is," Said Virgil, "and what happened to the last guys who fought with someone called Talpa."

"Can you read the next part?" Mia went over to scroll down. "Just say what it is translated."

"All right," Virgil red aloud, "When the light flickers the castle in the sky engulfs the city into darkness, when the light goes out the armor with no element or season shatters. Two to one, one to two the warrior of innocence will continue on with instruments of days of yore."

"It's interesting on how when translated it doesn't seem to sound at all like a poem."

"Yeah I notice that too. But what does it mean when the light flickers?"

"It could be just about anything, hope, happiness, joy, it could even mean life. Usually light will refer to anything joyful. You seem to be taking this better than your friend."

"I just feel weird after reading it. Almost like I can feel I was there." He continues to read on, "The warrior will bring life to where it was stolen."

"That was it." She said, "You've just finished the translation. Thank you, now all I have to do is figure out what it all means."

"Well good luck, I'm going to find Richie." Virgil left the room and knocked on the door where he heard sounds of puking, "Hey Richie you o.k. in there?"

"I will be!" he puked again. "Maybe not!" He continued on.

Virgil shrugged and leaned on the wall next to the door then watched Whiteblaze walked by. The tigers his fur was sticking out all over the place, a walking fuzz ball, then went back to normal after walking five feet away from him. "Hmm... fuzzy kitty."

Mr. Date walked up to Virgil, "Virgil I need you and Richie to take a look at this," He handed Virgil a disk.

"What is it?"

"Pretty obvious it's a disk but you two are to look at it on your own time."

"Why are you giving this to me?" Virgil was confused again by his teachers' actions.

"Don't make me turn it into a homework assignment. Its for your eyes only." He looked worried.

Virgil put it in his pocket, "You look worse than usual. Are you feeling all right Mr. Date?" Virgil asked out of slight concern. "Let me guess Cye's cooking?"

"No. It's just a dream I've been having." He was about to walk off.

"Nightmares get worse if they are kept a secret."

Mr. Date looked over his shoulder and then turned to Virgil, "all right. In the dream I'm dying. Not something I've been afraid of before, but it seems that my time may be coming soon."

"What? It's just a dream what harm can a dream do?"

"You were it in too Virgil. I hope you don't have to see anyone die in front of you."

"I hope not either but I've had the weirdest dream too, right before the first day of school. Someone with a red mask and long white hair and someone else in purple armor and the one in purple was standing next to a guy who looked like someone from Mortal Combat." He looked down thinking.

"Rayden!" Richie yelled and resumed throwing up.

"Yeah he looked like Ryden, a guy with an Asian hat and he wore an apron and carried around a staff that sounded like a wind chime or something like that."

"The ancient!"

"Uh..." Virgil looked up, "you know him?"

"I've always been good at prophesying, I only hope that it's just a dream."

Richie finally opened the door and closed it behind him, "Uh do not go in there." He heard a giggle then turned to Virgil, "Why the long face."

"He thinks he's dying." Said Virgil.

"Of course this kid isn't going to take things seriously." Mr. Date looked down shaking his head.

"You know I'm getting really tired of you always getting on my case for every little thing I do! Can't you just go bother someone else and turn their life into a living hell?"

"Ungrateful Brat!" Mr. Date narrowed his only visible eye.

Virgil pushed off the wall, "What's there to be grateful about but a lot of wasted time!"

Richie looked at the two, "Uh guys?" Richie watched the tension rise as the two continued to argue and...

Virgil threw the first punch then shoved the two outside through a window.

"Virgil Stop!" Richie yelled from the window.

"What is going on?" Ryo yelled running up to Richie.

"They just started fighting!"

"Great!" Ryo jumped out the window and Richie followed to break it up.

Everyone else ran out the front door of the cabin then stood in shock, Richie and Ryo managed to get Virgil off. Richie kept Virgil's hands behind his back, "Calm Down Virgil!"

Rowan went to check Mr. Date and slapped him a bit to at least wake him up, then he quit and turned to the others, "He's out!"

Richie let go of Virgil and fell on the ground breathing heavily, "I've never done that before. I just lost it!"

Kento walks over and grabs Virgil's wrist raising his hand to the sky, "And our winner!"

"No!" Virgil yanked his hand back.

"Do you feel better?" Ryo asked.

"Actually I... Kind of do, but I shouldn't. No that wasn't right!"

"Well at least you got that out of your system. This makes Sage's first loss to one of his students. If I'm right school would be over and you two should probably head home."

"That would be a good idea." Said Richie and pulled Virgil along to get their things.

They flew back to the city as Static and Gear, "What was that Static? You beat up the teacher. Doesn't seem like something you would normally do, actually it doesn't seem like something you would do at all."

"I know I just lost it." Said Static, "Don't know what came over me. But I feel like I managed to get a lot off my chest. I just hope he's all right after all that."

"Huh?" Gear looked up. "What the heck is that?"

"What the?" Static stopped the two and looked at the dark clouds looming over the city.

"That's a huge temple. It's a strange cloud formation."

"That's no cloud it's a Castle sitting on the clouds. Wait a second!" Virgil thought for a moment, "When the light flickers the castle in the sky engulfs the city into darkness,"

"What?" Gear looked at Static, "When the light flickers? You just beat up the teacher remember he's the light! And now this appears!"

"I think we should go home first and look at this thing." Static took the disk out of his pocket. "Mr. Date said it was for our eyes only." Static lead the way, "Come on let's go!"

A/N: Sorry I spent too much time on R.W. but in the next chapter Static and Gear will have more to say and new stuff.


	4. The Dream Disk

The Dream Disk

"Can't believe it," said Richie putting the disk inside backpack, "the whole city's blacked out. I'm pretty sure I can get backpack to get the disk going. He can act on voice command unfortunately it only works on my voice."

"Well at least we'll be able to see it." Virgil paced about.

"Still feeling guilty?" Richie asked tinkering around with backpack.

"Can't figure out why I did it in the first place." Stops and turns to Richie, "I've never lost it like that."

"Well Virg from my point of view it seems like you let out all of that aggression and the only reason why you feel bad is because you wound up knocking him out. Scared me too but what's past is past"

"It just happened a few hours ago."

"I'm sure Mr. Date's alright by now." Turns backpack over. "Got it." Richie opens a lid with a screen then gives a command, "backpack activate disk!" backpack shows a rainbow like swirl on the screen.

"Tight screen saver."

"But I don't remember putting it on there." Richie reached out to Backpack when the swirl engulfed the room then blinded them with a bright flash.

"Whoa." Virgil turned around looking at the area, "is this backpack or the disk?"

"Can't tell," Richie looked around, "maybe a dimensional shift or something."

Another flash took them to a rooftop looking at the castle in the sky, the wind was howling and sent a chill down Virgil's back. Then Richie felt something furry lift his hand, he looked down and there was Whiteblaze.

"Do you here that?" Virgil asked, "sounds like… like."

"Chimes?" said Richie.

"Yeah." Virgil nodded.

"I have been waiting for you."

They turned to a guy wearing a straw Asian hat. "Hey it's you." Virgil commented.

The stranger lifted a hand to the rim of his hat and took it off. "I am Anubis, and I come to you with a message." His long red hair whipped around in the wind. "Before your destinies were by choice and now this part of your journey will not."

"What do you mean?" Said Richie.

"Look up at what lingers over your city. Time is running out. If you do not stop the evil in the sky then it will surely engulf the entire world in darkness." Anubis walked up and stood next to Whiteblaze, looking up at the sky. "The only reason why it is here is because of you two. Weather or not if you believe your pasts you still must find the armor of innocence, it alone holds the strength you will need to stop Talpa."

"Question." Said Virgil, "is this real?"

"That all depends."

"On what?"

"On belief."

"Do you know where this armor of Innocence is?"

"Indeed." Anubis lifted his staff and hit the ground getting the rings at the top to chime. The area changed again into a dark cavern. At the far end there was a faint glow pulsing, Anubis led the way and the glow became brighter then died down as stopped. "The armor of innocence lies here. Only those worthy of it will dawn the armor."

"And if we're not?" Richie asked.

"The armor chooses it's wearer however unable to move it expects the worthy one to appear one day when it is needed."

"Mr. Date found it before we did." Said Virgil, "why didn't it go with him."

"He too is just a messenger, the Halo armor is one of the nine messengers to bring those worthy to it."

"And you?" Richie asked.

"I am one of nine, my replacement must be with you when you receive it."

"Why can't you come?" Virgil started petting Whiteblaze.

"I no longer exist in your realm but my armor still remains with another of whom I have chosen. But I fear that the light is slowly fading only you two must restore it to its original glory. The good darkness will help you see in the darkness."

"The darkness can be a good thing?"

"Every individual gives off their own illumination making them what they are. You must encounter the good before you are to face off against the evil."

"I know you're supposed to give riddles and all," Said Richie, "but could you be a little less vague? I think we could use some more clues here."

"I have only said what you have needed to know." Anubis places his hat back on his head, "now I can rest yet again. Our paths will one day cross again in a distant future." Anubis lifted the staff once again and hit the floor. The chiming caused the whole area to fade away.

"Wait!" Virgil sat awake in his own bed. He looked around the room, "huh? Wasn't I just…" Confused he picked up his Shock box and got Richie, "Hey Rich." He whispered, "You there?"

"Yeah." he answered, "didn't we just… I remember we were at HQ looking at the disk then…" 

"That weird place."

"_Yeah and I woke up in my bed."_

"Was it a dream? Or…"

"_I" Richie paused to think, " don't know."_

"Well since I'm in bed good night Rich."

"_Good night V."_

Yeah I know it's short but the next one's longer. Promise.


	5. The Cave

Innocence

"Mission log:" Virgil spoke into backpacks mike, "it's week 3 into the black out of Dakota city. With little luck from the bold and yet dashing Static Shock and Gear," He added lamely, "several attempts to lend his power to the city… didn't work.

"Now, we happen to be in the deepest darkest part of some cave in the middle of nowhere to find Samurai Armor that just happened to be in America…..And there's a freaky Castle in the sky. Any comment?" Virgil looked around.

"AACHOO!" Mr. Date sneezed into his handkerchief.

"Nice catch," Richie commented before putting the mike away.

"Sage, you sure you should be down here?" Ryo asked concerned.

"I'm fine," Mr. Date stared into the silk rag.

Virgil kicked a rock around to keep himself occupied. Still feeling the guilt over having pushed his teacher out the window, sure he apologized for it, but Mr. Date didn't seem too forgiving.

He let his mind wonder off. The stalactites were pretty nice and soothing as they dripped, but the stalagmites … how did those work?

"Don't touch those!" Mr. Date warned as he stuff the hanky in his pocket.

"Aw come on Sage," Kento strolled over to Virgil's side, "They can't be that-" he crushed the stalagmite on the way over. "Oops."

Rowan slapped his forehead at his friends stupidity, Cye peeked, as Mr. Date gave an exasperated sigh.

"Now that I think about it," Richie interrupted the moment, "how sturdy is this cave, exactly?"

"That was just a small piece," Virgil commented, "how much damage could it do?"

Suddenly the ground rumbled answering Virgil's question. A crack began under Kento's foot and snaked its way ahead down the cave. No one said a word for one long awkward moment until Virgil gave a small laugh of relief. It would be something he'd regret as the ground gave way underneath himself, Kento, Rowan, and Cye.

Rowan jumped back in time and Cye barely caught onto the edge, hurriedly crawling back on.

"Virgil!" "Kento!" The others cried as they fell.

There was a thud then, "Ow!"

"Hey!" Ryo called, "Are you guys all right?"

"The kid landed on me!" Kento shouted from under Virgil.

"Uh, thanks for breaking my fall." Virgil sat up rubbing his ribs.

"Do you see anything down there?" Richie yelled into the hole with the great acoustics.

"It's not as easy as falling into a hole." Mr. Date commented.

"Yeah!" Virgil inadvertently contradicted, after helping Kento up.

"Huh," Rowan mulled it over a second, "guess it is possible."

Richie felt something fuzzy on his forehead and brushed at it. "What the?" Cye caught his attention as well as the others. Then all of them turned to what he was looking at.

"What?" he ask still feeling the fuzzy, "Is there something on my face?"

"Uh-huh," Cye nodded.

"Your virtue," Mr. Date turned to the hole again.

"Kento!" Ryo yelled into the hole seeing a spark light up. "Do you see anything on Virgil?"

_What would be on me? _Virgil wondered turning to Kento, trying to swat what he thought was a fly.

Kento saw the character on Virgil's forehead then cupped his hands and shouted back, "His Kenji is showing!"

"My what?" Virgil checked himself embarrassed, searching for anything exposed.

Kento took an orange marble from his pocket showing him to settle his confusion. It glowed with his respective Kenji and on his forehead as well.

"Oh," Virgil's cheeks tinged a little red then realized, "You have a marble too?"

"It's not a marble!" Kento took offense.

"We're coming down!" Ryo warned before jumping nearly giving Richie a heart-attack.

"But that hole has got to be at least-" Richie was cut off by Rowan.

"Don't worry about it." Rowan said, "He does this all the time."

Cye jumped in after him followed by a flash of baby blue.

"Can you handle it kid?" Rowan smirked as a challenge before following suit.

Richie gulped hard then turned to Mr. Date who closely examined the sides. "What is it?"

"We've got company." Said Mr. Date diving in head first followed by a green flash.

Not wanting to be left behind Richie stomped switching his shoes into Gear's skates. He took a deep breath and hovered down meeting up with the others.

"What did you mean by we have company?" Richie asked and took mental note of the change in most of the others wardrobe.

The Ronins wore rather strange uniform like body suits, almost armor like. It was white along the collar, biceps, ribs and thighs and bottom face of their Gauntlets. With their respective colors of Red, light blue, dark blue, and green along the pecks, down the stomach, briefs, shins and forearm.

"Nice of you to drop in," said a creepy voice from the shadows.

"Hey, it's Cale." Virgil announced putting more power into his fingertips for more light.

"Ah, and I see you brought the brats along."

Mr. Date suddenly started violently coughing into his fist. Another guilty pang hit Virgil.

Cale scowled, "It's really too bad that gift of yours' doesn't work both ways."

"It's nothing." Mr. Date settled and straightened up.

Richie's eyes widened seeing Mr. Date's right hand.

"Did you come up with that short cut?" Virgil motioned to the gaping hole in the ceiling.

Cale stupidly grinned until Seckmet revealed himself from the shadows. "I melted the Earth above us."

"You really couldn't wait?" Virgil asked.

"Chances are," Ryo started, "If we know where the Armor is then so does Talpa. We have to get it quickly."

"Precisely," Cale agreed.

"We know it's important, but why?" Virgil asked getting everyone's attention and bringing Richie out of his trance.

"You ask that now?" Mr. Date said irritated.

"I mean, come on! What exactly does the past or some prophecy prove? For all we know this thing could turn out to be a piece of Junk!"

Richie thought that would be something he would normally say, but had to agree. There was no real logic behind what they were doing.

Virgil received a lot of insulted stares, however didn't flinch.

Cye looked down reminiscing about the same question he had a couple years ago.

Mr. Date ignored the question and headed to the display they stumbled onto.

Like the Ronins and Ex-dark warlords this armor had its own unique features. Three horns on the crown of the helmet, with a dark face shield only revealing the eyes. It was layered. Round armadillo like shoulder guards and gauntlets reaching as far as the elbow. The torso was V-shaped from the bottom of the pecks to the waist revealing a dark sub-armor underneath. Briefs like the old superheroes and flaps along the side of the thighs, and last boots going as high as the knee. But what set it apart from all the others it shimmered as it shifted colors from purple to green.

"Innocence?" Richie raised an eyebrow skeptical, looking at the ominous suit.

"For something meant to be innocent," said Virgil, "it looks like something from a nightmare."

"Don't be so quick to judge, it might seem daunting but it'll help you get rid of that ugly castle blotting out the sun." Rowan pointed out

"Okay, what do we do?" Richie asked.

"Don't get too close," said Cale. "This armor isn't without Guardians."

"Guardians?" Virgil questioned, "Kind of like The Boss before the prize?"

"So to speak," Said Rowan.

"Then what kind of bosses?"

"It all depends on your season, element, or greatest interest," said Seckmet. "We've had no manner of luck getting close to the thing."

"Hmm…" Richie mulled it over.

"I couldn't even get close to it, when I was last down here." Mr. Date commented, "Hopefully the two of you can fare better."

"Hey Mr. Date." Virgil dared calling his teachers attention, "What was your element?"

"Light," He replied not turning to Virgil, narrowing his eyes to focus his gradually blurring vision.

"Light? So then…" Virgil turned to Richie, "I wonder how it will take a meta-human?"

"Only one way to find out," Richie shrugged and the two walked up to it.

"No wait!" Mr. Date tried to stop them but it was too late.

The cave floor split apart with a loud rumble, and erected a barrier separating the students from the others.

Two boulders resembling the shrine transformed before them. The one in front of Virgil turned into pure electricity taking on a humanoid form. Richie's turned into an android with smooth features and a few exposed circuit boards.

**(AN: To avoid some confusion the Electrical one will be called E. Guardian and the Android A. Guardian.)**

The Guardians raced toward them then at last second crisscrossed each other knocking the duo off their feet, skidding twenty feet back. Virgil rolled on his back and returned to his feet but double over clutching his abs. Richie coughed trying to get over the momentary electrocution. Forcing himself he moved out of the way as E. Guardian punched the ground where he was a moment before. Virgil tried to scramble away but A. Guardian took hold of his ankle and dragged him back lifting him off the ground. Richie raced over out to help but the E. Guardian slapped his Backpack, the surge tossing him past Virgil and separated him from Backpack. Virgil tried to grab Richie's hand but failed and had the wind knocked out of him as he slammed into the ground back-first.

A. Guardian readied to stomp on Virgil but he sat up as fast as he possibly could, hearing the ground crumble behind him. Desperate to get some distance between himself and the Guardian Virgil staggered to his feet. But was held back with a headlock, he was losing air and fast…

Richie pushed himself off the ground struggling for air. A sharp pain surged through his back knocking him back down. E. Guardian stalked over and transformed his head into a whip and flung it back for momentum.

The Ronins and Ex-Dark Warlords tried getting in but the barrier deflected every single one's attack.

"We've got to get them out of there!" Mr. Date shouted with concern and cough up blood, clutching his aching stomach.

"Damn it!" Cale cursed, "The barriers too strong!"

Virgil saw E. Guardian change and knew Richie was in for it. Then attempted a move he'd only seen once. He pulled A. Guardians locked arm and successfully threw it off adding his own electricity for momentum and blasted it toward E. Guardian. The momentary hit meshed E. Guardian returning the whip into a head. Virgil had the idea to feed off of it but A. Guardian intercepted after a quick recovery and staggered through the electrical current.

Richie's whole body shook and willed his hand to reach over to Backpack. He lightly tapped it and opened a small compartment taking a capsule but dropped it. E. Guardian was getting closer and again he tried to grasp what could be his only hope.

Virgil boldly ran for A. Guardian and sidestepped a jab and ducked a spinning heal. He let instinct take over for moment and dodged every blow the oversized doll could throw at him. Then powered up both hands and instead of the earlier plan he fed it, grabbing its shoulders.

Richie clumsily sat up and held the capsule close. He narrowed his eye knowing he couldn't touch the damn thing without some deadly feed back. E. Guardian stopped dead in its track and like lightening reached out for Richie. He activated the capsule and weakly tossed it releasing his own special rubber cement. The goop engulfed the abomination encasing it. The Guardian struggled for a moment before slowing and then finally curling up, turning back into a boulder.

Virgil took a deep breath and flooded A. Guardian full of what electricity he had left. It danced erratically in his grip before finally drooping like a rag doll. He threw it like a hotplate and fell to one knee exhausted.

Part of an oh-crap moment as the Guardians flew off the ground and crashed into each other. Combining into one and landed on the ground with a dull thud.

"There is no way they could be ready for this!" Cye said in disbelief.

"They barely managed to survive the last one!" Kento added.

Mr. Date smirked as what the others took as irritation, but far from it. "It's not over just yet." He said shifting over to a smile, exhausted.

Virgil and Richie stood up-struggled a little-and more like curious children made their way over to it. Instead of them taking a guarding stance as it raised its massive right to arm strike, they bowed…

The guardian surprised them all as it just froze in place, after a moment lowered its arm. The Guardian got down on one knee bowing its head as a servant to its masters.

The two could remember being kids and thinking of just playing in the park, or being rewarded with candy. All the innocent joys of life.

The Kenji on their foreheads were glowing and as was the armor.

The Guardian turned into pure energy, separated, then shot back to their previous positions. Instead of returning to its rock form two new weapons stood beside the Armor.

With another rumble the barrier vanished and the cave mended itself sealing all seams.

Virgil and Richie straightened out and smiled seeing the Guardians gone and celebrated with a cheer and high five. But groaned from the impact and shook their hands to relief some stress.

"You guys did it!" Kento cheerfully shouted as he and the other's ran up.

"Wow, no armor either," Ryo commented impressed.

"Now that's what I call dumb luck." Seckmet joked.

"Got that right," Virgil agreed trying to massage his aching forearm. Then felt some weight on his shoulder, it should've hurt but instead the pain melted away. He was just fine and flexed his arm with no problem. It was as if the fight with the Guardians never happened.

"Uh… Thanks."

Mr. Date moved onto Richie.

Just then another Ex-dark warlord and Whiteblaze dropped in from the hole. "I see I'm late."

"You just missed the best fight ever, Dais." Kento said grinning in excitement and as a taunt.

"Yet not a very wise move from either of you," Mr. Date lightly scolded, vision blurring again. "The two of you could have wound up dead!"

"But look," Virgil motioned to the weapon as a change of subject. "Those weren't there before."

"Not very amusing," Dais commented on the weapons.

The right appeared to be a dark green staff of some type, with pincer blades on one end and the bottom half a sword. The left was a long dark bow, blades where normally the grips should be.

"What's wrong?"

"It would appear," started Cale, "the Armor of innocence has not quite chosen its master."

"So… we didn't quite pass the test then?" Richie asked.

"Not exactly," Mr. Date swallowed struggling with himself to stay alert, then went on to call Virgil's attention. "Try walking up to it."

Virgil shrugged thinking the worst was over and casually walked over feeling his kenji's warm glow, and stopped half way noticing that the Armor stopped on purple. "Is that supposed to happen?"

Mr. Date hummed thoughtfully, "Virgil, come back." Virgil complied without question. "Richie, your turn."

"All right," Richie did as told and again the Keniji was glowing and the armor's color shifted to green. "Huh." He commented taking mental note as well.

"How about we give the weapons a shot?" Suggest Rowan.

"All right," Virgil walked up cautiously to the bow and Richie to the staff, and plucked them from the ground. "Um… still nothing."

"What if they called it?" Cye then suggested, "Sometimes it does have a habit of acting on its own."

"Wait." Richie said, "Isn't that assuming its alive?"

"I'll try it." Virgil volunteered and yelled, "Armor of innocence!" He pause thinking of a good command and out stretched his right hand with the bow, "Return!" was the best that he could come up with.

Nothing happened, until it completely disappeared, shocking everybody and Virgil even more. Thinking he might have accidentally gotten rid of it. Bugged eyed over the loss he fell to his knees in disbelief. Then…

A purple light engulfed the Cavern and flashed all the way to the cave entrance.

Virgil was still kneeling and had his eyes closed during the flash, opened them to look down at his hands, and got up examining the rest of his body in awe. He was wearing sub-armor like the Ronins, only on the parts where it should be white were black and his own respective color purple.

"Whoa!" Richie pushed his glasses back and walked around getting a good look.

"Tight!" Virgil squeaked.

"Not bad kid." Said Dais.

Mr. Date thought for moment, _two weapons but one set of armor?_ His ears started ringing interrupting his thoughts.

"Hey you're one of us!" Ryo smiled.

"But fore-eyes here still has his Kenji." Cale pointed out.

"What?" Said Richie.

"Oh yeah," said Virgil turning his attention away from himself.

"All right," Mr. Date wanted to test another theory, "Sorry Virgil, but now it's Richie's turn."

"But," Virgil protested, both not wanting to take it off and also… "I can't find zipper on this thing!"

"Richie, you must call on the Armor, now." He breathed through his mouth, the air around him started getting stuffy.

"Okay!" He grinned in anticipation, "Armor of Innocence," He had his word ready holding both hands out, "Depart!"

Again there was a brilliant flash of light and he saw the Sub-armor and was disappointed.

Like Virgil's fitting it was black where it should be white, but respectively a dark green. It was a nice fit but had to admit it was ugly.

"Not bad," Seckmet commented, seeing how it closely resembled his own.

"AH!" Richie panicked wanting it off. "Return!" He ordered returning it to Virgil.

"Aw!" Virgil said in surprise, "No wait. Is it always going to do that?" He asked before using Richie's summon, "Depart!" and gave it back to him. Richie scowled and gave it back.

"Knock it off you two!" Mr. Date ordered to everyone relief. They were getting tired of the blinding flashes and it was getting him dizzy.

"So, we know that we can both wear it," Said Virgil showing off by easily doing a back flip with bow in hand. "Now what?"

Mr. Date was about to say something but fainted, reverting back to his original clothes. Fortunately Rowan managed to catch him before he hit the ground. "Sage!" "Mr. Date!" Everyone shouted concerned.

"Knew he was pushing it by coming down here!" Said Rowan.

"Damn Halo." Cale commented.

"What happened?" Richie asked checking him.

"Forget it," said Ryo, "We've got to get him out of here and fast!"

"We're too far down,"

"I'll get him out." Virgil said. Willing his armor away he returned to his original clothes and hurriedly pulled out his disk. "I'm the only one who can fly him out of here fast enough. I owe it to him." He added partly out of respect.

"All right," Rowan agreed and with Richie's help lifted him up and threw Mr. Date's arm over Virgil's shoulder.

"Take him over to Mia's," Ordered Ryo, "We'll be there shortly."

"Got it!" And with that Virgil got a better grip on Mr. Date and his bow.

Once outside he headed for the tree line stunned to at what he saw over the distance. Dakota seemed a little darker than it has in the past few days as it snowed. Only… it was eerie as the snow seemed to fall into the sky.

He shook his head and had to keep his mind focused and getting Mr. Date back to the cabin.

At the cabin four hours had passed and Mr. Date was still out. Virgil had gotten him to the cabin twenty minutes after leaving that dank cave and was at his bed side the whole time, blaming himself. He'd lost his temper and knocked out the teacher, believing that was the cause.

Virgil tried to get his mind off it for moment and reached for the laptop on the nightstand, setting it on his lap. Maybe a bit of distraction at that point would do a little good and tried surfing the internet. Username was already down then remembered the password: HALO, however failed. Trying the elements and seasons didn't work either, interests…then for some odd reason felt he should use his own name. He was in. Taken aback that he was a password and a little touched he smirked.

"What are you doing?" asked a very groggy, yet curious Mr. Date.

"Uh," Virgil looked up from the computer as he sat up. "Just surfing the web," he said all uneasiness aside.

"You need a password-" Virgil cut him off.

"I got in." Virgil said in a playful manner.

Mr. Date managed a weak smirk. "How'd you figure that out?"

"For a hard-ass teacher you seem to spill a lot of information about yourself." He said seeing the taken back expression, "Nah, I'm just messin' with you." He joked. "Good to see your finally up."

"How long was I out?"

"About four hours. You feeling all right?"

Mr. Date narrowed his eyes looking out the window, still sunny out. He never answered the question.

"Remember when you asked what does the past or prophecy prove?"

"Yeah." Virgil said uneasiness returned.

"Well not all of us are fortunate enough to have a choice, and are born into our destinies."

"You mean about me being Static and you being a Ronin? That was an accident."

"But still a choice you made to be there." There was a moment of silence, "I was born into what I am. No one asked me if I wanted this I just had to do it. If I didn't no one else would."

"But…" Virgil saw a flaw in what he was saying. "You chose to be a teacher, didn't you?" He got Mr. Date's full attention, "No one made you teach that was something you decided to do, right. It was being a Ronin that you couldn't"

"That's looking on the bright side of things."

"Yep." Virgil said proudly, "That's me, Virgil, Mr. Sunshine. I'll light up any dark place."

!#$&

Just to get this off my computer for the moment and finally update after 3 years, I put this up. I just edited and I hope I still don't get flamed for grammar just yet. I'll put up another Chapter soon and do further editing later.


	6. Dakota under Siege

Dakota Under Siege

Past curfew and it wasn't really much of choice, but Static and Gear reluctantly flew back to Mia's cabin. Earlier, upon the other's return they had to do nothing but training and getting used to the new armor—with hilarious results—hopefully there wouldn't be anymore training.

"Aw, did you guys miss us that much?" Rowan teased meeting them on the front porch.

"Uh well actually-" Gear felt the back of his neck looking for an answer.

"We couldn't even get in Dakota," Static finished Gears sentence pulling off his mask. "It's like there was a wall around it."

"We tried going around it"

"Under it" Virgil winced, "then we were blocked off."

"We could try going over it but that would take us into deep space."

Rowan wore a wary smile, "Did you try going through it?"

"No!" They were quick to answer. Remembering good and well flying like normal and like birds to a window hit the barrier pretty hard.

Rowan sensed the lie and quietly laughed. "Seems to me like it's on lockdown," he motioned back at the cabin. "We saw it on the news. No cars have been able to get in or out of the city."

"Now you tell us!"

"We didn't know either until a few moments ago. Come on inside, though you might be here for a while."

"Hopefully we don't have to do any more training."

"Ditto," agreed Gear removing his mask.

After careful deliberation over current events, training and sleeping arrangements the super-hero's spent the night and bunked in the living room. All other rooms were full two to each. As comfortable as the Sofa's were neither one could sleep.

"Hey V?" Ritchie asked wondering if he should bring up what he saw, "You awake?"

"Yeah," he sighed, worried, "can't sleep."

"Me neither." There was a moment of silence then, "Uh Virg? You know I wouldn't hide anything from you, right?"

Virgil cocked a wary eyebrow, "Uh… If this is going where I think it's going I might chance that barrier again."

Ritchie smirked at how Virgil could lighten up anything with a joke but had to stay on track, "Nah, nothing like that. But I saw something down in the cave."

"Like what?" Virgil narrowed his eyes in curiosity.

"I saw blood on Mr. Date's hand. Something tells me he hasn't been in the best of health for a while." Virgil turned his gaze down in guilt as Ritchie added, "And I don't think it has anything to do with the little incident between you two. He seemed more exhausted by the day."

"Yeah, but doesn't school usually do that." He more stated than joked remembering that odd look they got in Ritchie's first detention.

Suddenly someone exited one of the rooms and the young hero's turned over pretending to sleep. Waiting for the newcomer to disappear into another room, only they never did and noisily started typing away at the dining table. As annoying as it was they still managed to drift into sleep.

White blaze annoyingly scratched at the front door probably wanting out, Virgil just tried to ignore it slapping the pillow over his ear. Then felt sharp teeth glide down his side and was pulled off the couch by his boxers.

"All right I'm up!" He pushed the tiger away and headed for the door opening it like usual when "Kale!" Virgil shouted as he noisily fell in waking the other in the room, Ritchie merely glanced over his shoulder and went back to sleep.

Virgil helped Kale up placing him down on the recliner. "What happened to you?"

"I just got back from the city."

"So you found a way in?" Mr. Date asked.

"Thanks for the concern." Kale said sarcastically, "But yes, you're not the only one with operatives on the inside."

"What?" Virgil asked confused.

"Lady Kyra felt a great disturbance so we went on to investigate." He leaned forward. "Talpa has been gaining power for the last couple of days, somehow unnoticed. It had reached it's peak earlier when the barrier was erected," Virgil giggled and Mr. Date just rolled his eyes, Kale continued, "fortunately we managed to get in before it went up. It would seem we're a little late."

"Late?" That caught Virgil's attention, "You mean!"

"Talpa's all ready entered our realm. Fortunately our first wave is inside fighting as we speak."

"First wave? And who would that be?"

"So far the children remain unharmed within the city, however, other's like your self are fighting along side us. One individual was having difficulties and I managed to get out with his help."

"I know it's bad but how bad?"

"You'll see for yourself soon enough. We must leave now."

Mr. Date contemplated this for a moment then turned to Virgil. "Wake Ritchie, get you weapons and suit up."

Without argument Virgil pulled Ritchie off the Sofa and the in no time were headed to Dakota.

"If you have someone who can get us in then why are running?" Static asked.

"He stays to the shadows in a sense."

Static thought of leaving Mr. Date out, worrying about his condition and just as he thought of this there was a green flash and followed by an "oaf!"

Kale and Static turned and to their surprise saw Ritchie's armor hand was in Mr. Date's gut.

"What are… you-" Mr. Date managed to say before collapsing.

"What do you think your doing?" Kale held Ritchie's arms back in a strangle hold.

"Let him go!" Static took a step forward.

"Oh come on!" Ritchie retorted, "You know as much as I do he's in no condition to come with us!"

Kale struggled within him self but agreed with Ritchie letting him go.

Static checked his teacher and saw a trickle of blood on the corner of his mouth. Weather it was from the punch or if he was sick he didn't know. He pulled out a tracer and hid it in Mr. Date's hair.

"What are you doing Static?" Ritchie asked switching back to Gear.

"You know he's going to find a way in, anyway. This way we can track him." He jumped on his saucer, "Now let's go!" Static led the way.

"What the heck is that?" Ritchie asked at the floating black hole.

"**That** is our way in." said Kale. "Ebon!" He got two shocked glances and the two stopped in their tracks.

"EBON!" They said in unison.

The living shadow materialized next to his portal. "Yeah, you got a problem with that Hero?"

"Calm down." Said Kale, "Ebon is the only way in or out. Without me he would have all ready been possessed. Believe it or not I'm the only one who can keep it that way."

"Whatever." Ebon went into his portal, "Now get in before I change my mind."

They all jumped in to the portal and hit the street hard. "Thanks for the lift." Said Static picking up his bow and found they landed in front of his house. There he found Sharon suspended in mid air on the porch. Static called out to her and saw mist coming out of her mouth and gathering into a ball of light above her.

"Static!" Adam called rearing around the house and caught Sharon before she fell, "It's like this everywhere! I couldn't get to Sharon in time."

"What do you mean?"

"Static!" Gear called pointing at the sky, "what is that?"

There were more lights in the sky and what looked like a blue flame raced from the castle and straight towards them. "It's that thing again!" said Ebon taking a step back and feeling the rage gathering in the pit of his stomach.

"B LAC K L I G H T E N I N G STRIKE!" Kale called his ultimate attack erasing the flame from existence.

"What the!" was the reaction from the others seeing Kale in full armor: Brown, blood red cape, golden sword, and claws on both gauntlets.

The rage was boiling inside of Ebon until Kale hit the hilt of his sword in his gut, settling the inner storm. "Go back and stay with the others." He ordered as Ebon fell back into his own portal.

"Sharon!" Static shouted tapping his sisters' cheek trying to get some sort of response.

"It's like this all over the place," Explained Rubber band man, "but it's only the adults. The older Meta-humans are acting like they're possessed. A lot of the kids everywhere have been left alone trying to avoid those samurai guys. It's a real mess."

"Then…" they turned up looking at the lights dotting the sky. "are those-"

"There's more!" Shouted a foot soldier and alone charged at the four. Ten strides later it wasn't alone and all roads were flooding with more of them.

Adam gingerly set Sharon down on the porch and joined the others in the intersection. Static aimed the bow, Gear took his staff, Kale with both hand on his sword and Adam turned into a bouncing ball. Static held his right hand where the string should be and powered up a surge to string it up and pulled, the string shot off disintegrating all the one's on his street.

"Static!" Adam shouted shocked.

"They're not real." Kale simply stated charging in and shredded the ones on his street.

"Spring Cleaning!" Gear cheered charging in on his skates and slicing a few in half.

Adam bounce in and knocked a few off their feet, then stretched the width of the street blocking all the weapons hurdling over and sending them back.

Static lowered the bow and flew down his street waving the bow around like a staff cutting through the samurai guys. Then caught site of a purple cloud and there was puff disintegrating them by the breath full. None of them could touch her and neither could their weapons.

"Damn! With breath like that I'm surprised you didn't clear the whole the city." Static said flying up to her level.

"Watch it Sparky! Or I take you out like the rest." She said and huffed.

"Ah!" Static plunged into the street level crowd and held his bow in front of him plowing down the armored guys. Once out of human sight he called on the sub armor only wishing he could still wear his mask with it. Then took this idea to fly around the city and found that nearly all the meta-humans he met—friend and foe—were fighting, the whole place was like a war zone.

Virgil landed on one of the building tops covering a crowd of teens trying to find a safe place to hide. Not a single Band-baby around to help until he looked over his should and saw a _Lord of the Rings_ type Olyphant stomping through the streets. As it passed he saw Dwayne at the far end of the road with glowing eyes. Virgil shrugged, _guess__ this streets taken, _and flew off before anybody could see his face.

Suddenly what felt like a ton of bricks knocked him out of the sky and bounced him off a wall into an alley. It didn't end there as there was another _clang_ of metal and more. "Can't you guys be original?" Virgil complained at the dog pile. The entire alleys width filled with the guys. Using his force field he managed enough room to call on his full armor. Virgil opened his eyes now glowing purple instead of brown and threw them off and punched the guy clinging onto his shoulder.

"Looking pretty sharp!" Rowan commented from the top of the adjacent building.

"Hey!" Virgil looked up glad to see Rowan and Cye, "If it isn't Marth and Roy."

"Yeah," Cye pointed over his shoulder, "and we've got Link tailing us."

Virgil heard the tracer and another one of those guys was thrown over the side. Virgil took a step back and it landed where he was a moment ago. All three Ronin warriors jumped down and met Virgil groundside.

"Huh?" Mr. Date looked confused. "You're by yourself?"

"We split up when we got here." Said Virgil then heard, _Depart!_ And he was back in his Static costume. "Guess Ritchie needs it."

"Well that's just great!" Mr. Date complained folding his arms.

"Now what?" Static asked.

"Calm down Sage," said Cye, "it'll take a while before we can find a way into the castle."

"Is that what this is about?"

"Look out!" Rowan warned.

The Ronins jumped away from a flame thrower while Static looked over his shoulder and felt the incoming heat. At last second he fell to his knees and fell back tying to flatten himself and not get singed. "I know that flaring temper anywhere." Static pushed himself up and there was Hot Streak.

"Finally, some competition!" Hot Streak smirked getting ready to throw a fist sized fireball.

Static saw one samurai guy get up behind Hot Streak and fired his bow right over Hot Streaks left shoulder.

"Hey! I didn't ask for your help!"

"But you needed it."

"Friend of your?" Mr. Date asked landing next to Static.

"You're that teacher!" Hot Streak evilly grinned, "Payback!" and readied to throw the fireball, when the ground trembled and dropped it, seeing the torrential wave coming to flush them out—Aqua Maria.

Everyone ground level took to the sky.

"Cye!" Static called seeing he didn't get out.

With a flash of blue the water erupted, "Super Wave Smasher!" he jumped out in full armor. With more force than what he wanted tuning into a small dot in the sky and cracking the sidewalk on landing.

"What was that?" Rowan asked.

Cye looked at his hands and his armor was glowing. The other's looked on in awe then Virgil smiled with realization.

"All right! A power boost!" Right as he said that the manhole covers all over the city shot from the streets erupting with water, then continued to explain as if it was an everyday thing. "If we combine our power with anyone with the same type of element we could get stronger."

"I see." Said Mr. Date, "it'll do more than double but multiply our strength."

"What?" now Rowan was confused.

"Think outside the box and…" He cringed, "more into video games. For example the right kind of elemental Mana egg can multiply a characters respective power: Water for water, or light for light, watch." Mr. Date transformed into full Armor and used his ultimate attack on Static. It was too quick to avoid and Static absorbed it rather than getting harmed. Static was just hovering but the power boost shot him across the city.

"Light Speed." Static commented. "What the!" And looked back seeing the elements pulsate around the sky, like a light house, in some odd way reminding him of a black hole. It was so clear to see the dust, water, fire, even snow, and felt a gust of wind. Problem was it was hard to pinpoint where the center was.

A tiger roared getting Static's attention. It's was the Black Blaze helping out Talon. The bird girl screeched, under her sonic waves the foot soldiers vibrated apart. Black Blaze viciously tore through a breast plate and tossed it knocking off another's helmet.

On ground level were kids trying to revive their parent's from their dream-like state. Seeing Talon reminded him, and turned back to the sky taking a blind shot into the center of the city. The electric arrow arced with the current and popped destroying a portal. Talon took care of the rest gathering around the kids.

"Thanks." Talon landed catching her breath. "They kept coming out of that spot."

"Never thought we'd be on the same side," said Static.

"Who said we were on the same side?" Talon screeched at him.

"Okay, okay," Static flew off with Black Blaze in tow,_ so don't expect every meta-human to be on the same team, _he thought.

The tiger roared at the oncoming threat, "Return!" Static's Armor was back on, landing on an angled roof. He and Black Blaze slid down as did the enemy and fired away. After clearing the roof he jumped off and took note of the damages being done all over the city with disappointment.

"Try to focus on saving the people," said Kento jumping in from behind, "all of the other stuff can be replaced."

"Yeah," Virgil glanced over his shoulder, "But… we're pretty much destroying our home."

"Look at it this way," He put a hand on Virgil's shoulder for comfort. "the sooner we can take care of Talpa the sooner we'll be able to restore the city."

"Thanks." Virgil said with sarcasm putting a lot more on his shoulders.

Tarmack tore through a store and the roof caved in bringing down the trio right on top of him. He meant to punch down on Virgil but Kento intervened catching the fist and forced him back. "Get out of here and get to that castle!" Said Kento, "I can take this guy!"

"Wait. Get him to help you out."

"What?" Kento was blind sided and sent flying into the next room. He pushed through the rubble and smirked, "Aw, so that's how it's going to be."

Virgil wanted to stay but saw that Kento could handle things then made a mad dash for it.

_Depart! _Sounded Ritchie's voice and Static was back.

Static did a fly by near any of the usual kiddy type hangouts and found them empty. Strange that the normally safe places were deserted, until he saw why, the portals. _If they can come out of there what's to stop me form going in? _He thought firing his bow at the newcomers and going in at full speed when Black Blaze crashed into him and had Static pinned, "Hey what gives?"

"It's a one way," Said Ryo smirking, "Not the best of landings." He helped him up.

"So, you mean I can't use that?"

Ryo cocked an eyebrow, "You didn't think it would be that easy?"

"I keep getting the run around." It just hit him, "How did you guys get in anyway?"

"Shadows normally don't yawn. We more stumbled onto Kale's buddy while Sage was explaining what happened."

"Oh," Static smirked.

"Take Black Blaze with you and get to that castle."

"Why is it so important I get up there anyway when I'm needed down here?"

"Your power is electricity right?" That was rhetorical, "Well that Castle is the switch to put everything back together. Either you or your friend have to get up there to put a stop to this."

"I hope your right." Static summoned back his disk. Then Black Blaze step up. "What does he want?"

"I think he wants you to ride him."

"I'm never going to get used to this." Static jumped on the dark tiger like a surf bored then got another bright idea, "Hey, A flying tiger!" He demonstrated flying Black Blaze around scarring it by its flailing legs.

"Hey he doesn't like that!" Ryo scolded.

"My bad!" He set them down as the tiger dug his claws into the wood floor to feel secure. Static dropped landing hard. If Black blaze had lips he'd smirk a serves-you-right-kid smirk and took off.

Static had to admit the tiger was fast and understood why the guys usually rode in full armor.

"What? How come you get to ride the tiger!" Ritchie raced up keeping pace.

"It's not as pleasant as you think. Any luck with the portals?"

"Almost all of them are one way. I only found one with a guaranteed way up but it keeps moving."

"Think it has something with the warped sky?"

"So you do see it?" Ritchie looked up, "I thought I was losing it when I asked but nobody could see it."

"Doesn't it suck that we're the only one's who have to share the same armor?"

"Yep. If we go our separate ways again we might have a better chance of finding that portal."

"Hey, Rich! When your airborne watch what you throw."

"Got'cha."

Static jumped off Black Blaze. "Return!" and ran along side the tiger.

Gear took to the sky, "Last one to the castle is teacher's pet!"

Virgil smirked.

"WEBB O F DESEPTION!" Dais cried sending off webs everywhere. Virgil jumped out of the way and couldn't figure out if it was a bang-baby or a large pink almost purple Spider. Dais pulled on the handle of the spider legs and any of those foot soldiers caught in it burst into flame.

"Hate spiders!" Virgil ran by hopping from roof top to roof top, then ran into a familiar face.

It was difficult to tell if he was meditating or looking at his reflection in his sword. "Your hairs just fine!" Virgil stated taking Mr. Date out of his trance.

"I'm not looking at my reflection." He stared into the sword. "I've been trying to head to the center but every time I try I keep getting sent elsewhere. Ran into Ritchie earlier and said that things were warped."

"Got that right! You know you sent me to the other side of Dakota right?"

"Not intentionally, even I got the Power Boost. That Francis doesn't seem to think too clearly, nearly flew right into my thunder bolt cut all because of his temper…" he pointed his sword to the left of what Virgil could see as the eye of the storm. "There."

"The center of Dakota?"

"You tore a rift when I gave you the boost. Follow that trail." He ordered.

"There it is!" Virgil saw the tear, "Okay I'm on it. See you at the top." He was off again.

Virgil headed for the tear on foot and was sucker punched, even worse ganged up by the Dynasty soldiers. "Now I'm mad." Virgil's eyes were glowing again and punched and kicked his way through, swung the sharp bow and stood feet apart and bow in hand. Not even caring about perfecting his stance and with four fingers outstretched, strung the bow with four surges and let go sending a bolt of lighting in the four compass directions.

The area was clear or so he thought as the number he just took out reappeared in twice the number. Then aimed the bow up and Pop! Took out a one-way portal and just as he did four street blocks righted themselves getting taken out of the warp.

Virgil caught sight of a scythe flying right at him, at full speed, at last second "Ah!" He cried.

The Armor of Innocence's helmet cracked, the impact was so hard Virgil thought his skull had split open. Then felt the gust of wind all around his head. The pieces clattered to the floor and caught a spear aimed for his heart. A kick to the back then the gut and it chipped.

"I thought this armor was supposed to be stronger than that!"

"When you're fueled by the Dynasty what good will ancient armor do you, boy?"

"Boy?" Virgil took offense and saw the Armor had dissolved and was back in his Static uniform. "Oh crap!" Fortunately the bow remained.

He took safety in the sky and called up Ritchie on the shock vox, "Yo, Ritchie!" and avoided getting hit.

_"Static! I'm around a crowd of people! Don't go-" there_ was pause, _"wait a sec. why are you on the shock vox?"_

"Do you have the Armor?"

_"No, I gave it to you!"_

"Uh… Try calling it."

Static waited a moment then, _"Nothing happened! Static what's going on?"_

"It shattered!"

_"WHAT?!__ How could that thing just shatter? According to the guys it was supposed to be powerful!"_

"I was just ganged up by these things again!"

_"I still got my weapon on me how 'bout you?"_

"Got it! Well, I've got a heading for the main Portal and I'm going for it now." He put the Shock vox away and headed for the tear.

Static rode the tear and headed for the center of the city when he came across his mother's memorial. Getting off track he couldn't help but get drawn to the statue of Dakota's hero's. He circled around in admiration.

Then heard the _clang clang_ of metallic boots and landed. "Figures," he slumped on the side of the plaque. As if defending the statues he got back up and took aim. Then noticed a small figure of a kid running, exhausted and being chased.

"Static!" It was Dwayne. Even though the kid was in trouble Static didn't make a move to help him. Then his legs gave out from under him and that's when Static tilted up and fired the bow, annihilating the crowd following Dwayne. He ran over to help him out. "For a second…" He paused to catch his breath, "I didn't think you…were going to help."

"Hey! I never leave anybody behind."

Other meta-humans seemed to gravitate towards the memorial: Purmafrost, Tarmack, Aqua Maria, Slipstream, Puff, Shiv, Talon circled over head, and even Hot Streak. In seeing that was the best place for anyone at the moment Static dragged the two of them over.

Anything in Purmafrost 's way froze, Tarmack both melted and swatted anything away, Aqua Maria had her own torrential down pour, Slipstream had a strong gust blowing, Puff was mad as hell and blew the most lethal of gas, Shiv and Talon worked together like a batter and pitcher, last Hot Streak with a powerful flamethrower.

Yeah, safe? Static threw the two against the plaque out of the cross fire.

They turned back and it was pure chaos. Static exchanged back and forth from bow to his own basketball size energy bombs.

The air cleared only for a moment. All the Meta-humans took a breath and simultaneously shot their own respective blasts in all directions, kicking up a lot of dust with almost zero visibility. They could've sworn the ground beneath dropped a few inches.

The dust cleared and all around was nothing but armored debris and all were in a deep creator. They turned there gaze upward as they heard the howling wind—Slipstream was grounded—and the surrounding buildings righted themselves.

Static no longer saw the swirl in the sky he had seen earlier, however the glowing orbs much like the one he saw with Sharon still remained stationary then slowly began to part.

A burst of energy shot directly from the castle and onto the surviving memorial—startling everybody. Instead of destroying it, the memorial was engulfed in a shady flame.

"Static!" Mr. Date called "Take it!"

"That's the Portal!" Gear flew overhead.

Static turned to the memorial again and hesitated, taking one last look at his mom—mentally asking her to wish him luck—and plunged in. When he stepped into the memorial he didn't hit anything and felt his stomach jump.

The Meta-humans glanced around at each other like, _what just happened?_

"The Hell with this!" Hot Streak ran in.

The rest figured it'd be safer up there and followed.

"What are they doing?" Mr. Date yelled in frustration and ran at full speed.

Static landed, and harder than what he thought he would. Something felt a little off and snapped his fingers. "Now this is just ridiculous."

The other's showed up and puff fell with an _"oaf!"_

Anyone of them with a physical transformation were fully human again. They tried but none could get anything out.

"No more super powers?" Static asked, as Gear fell right on Shiv.

"Get off!" Shiv pushed Gear off.

"My bad." Gear got up. He checked his equipment, all off line.

Mr. Date showed up last in full armor then a second later reverted back to his sub-armor. "What?" He looked at his hands in confusion.

"Uh…does this mean we can't use our powers?" Static warily smirked.

"Don't need it to kick your ass!" Hot Streaks went for Static throwing punches.

He couldn't land a single one, Static kept swatting the punches to the side like flies, "Hey, guess that _Wax on, Wax off_ thing really does work."

"Static." Mr. Date said in a normal tone, "quit playing around with him."

"All right." Static agreed and grabbed a fist, yanked and kneed Hot Streak in the gut. Letting him fall and cool off.

"Aw, Come on!" Complained Gear.

Surrounded again.

!#$&()

I had to brush up on my Static Shock after not having seen it in a while. Good thing there's a YouTube. In case you forgot these characters here are some short descriptions.

Dwayne- He's the kid with the step brother who tried to use him to rob a bank using imaginary characters. Also he turned the Freeman Community Centers fountain into Cherry Soda.

Puff- She and Onyx tried becoming bounty hunters and turn in Rubber band man.

PurmaFrost- Narrowly turned Dakota into a winter wonderland, only has a grandmother.

Tarmack- Sent by Specks and trapper to steal high tech equipment worth millions for only $100 dollars.

Slipstream- Sounds like Fat Albert and was on the episode where Virgil and Ritchie have their first fight.

Aqua Maria- She shorted out Static on her initiation.

I think that's it for all the unfamiliar's. Hopefully I can get next Chapter up a lot faster.


	7. Light destroyed?

Warning! There is death in this one.

Virgil: Samurai Pizza Cats!

Sage: Shut up!

Gone, Remembered and Returned

"Well this is just great!" Gear complained taking a step back.

Mr. Date sized up the odds, eleven now normal teens, one Ronin warrior against an Army of Dynasty soldiers.

Sucker punch! Mr. Date fell back and into Static's arms, "Hey! That wasn't very nice." Static commented at the unfair gesture.

It was strange, Static felt some kind of odd surge through his veins before righting his teacher up. Mr. Date had an odd look in his eyes, anger, rage? When he was usually calm?

"Hey! Just Chill for sec!" Static ordered, getting a glance from Mr. Date, another odd move when he calmed down at the students order.

It was Static's turn to size everything up glancing around. There was no way they would stand a chance and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Then stuck the tip of the bow in the ground and put his hands up, "We surrender!"

"What?" Everyone turned to him like he was crazy.

"Have you completely lost it, Static!" Mr. Date scolded.

"Good choice," said the nearest Dynasty soldier.

Slipstream boldly bound forward only to get knock down and sliding back to his previous spot.

"Think about it," Said Static, "We're not exactly in the position to defend ourselves. Our powers are gone, we're completely out numbered, they have weapons and we don't have nearly enough to pass around, and the armor we needed was destroyed."

"What!" Mr. Date said shocked at the news, "So you're just going to give up?" disappoint was written all over his face.

"Yep," Static smiled, "It's better than all of us getting killed. We don't need anymore casualties and we don't need to have Dakota destroyed any further." The teens looked down in despair, agreeing. "It's our home and I don't want anything more to happened than what all ready has."

"I see your point." Gear said sticking the blade of his staff in the ground as well raising his arms. "I give."

This upset Talon to the point of charging at one of the Dynasty soldiers and was knocked unconscious. Shiv was about to charge in when the same soldier held a spear to her neck and stopped.

Slowly they all held their hands up and surrendered.

"You chose well." Said the Dynasty soldier, going up to Static first confiscating the bow and grabbing his arm, watching him wince in his grip. "It'll save us the trouble of trying to take you to back to Master Talpa, alive."

Mr. Date glanced at Static's hand, quirking an eyebrow at the odd position, pinky sticking out. Taking a deep depressing sigh he surrendered as well.

Within moments everyone was teleported outside the thrown room, still with their handlers. Not too happy but curious they took glances around the room: hard wood floor, sliding doors and a plain old ceiling. Then finally the doors in front of them parted. It was a shrine like room with four tall candle holders in front of what seemed to be a big screen.

Suddenly a ghostly giant head appeared before them. A pale purple frozen ogre like face with a slightly open mouth with fangs, long platinum hair, traditional helmet, and long horns that looked like they could pick up satellite.

"Ah, so we meet again." Talpa's eyes started glowed red, "Yet, I am surprised to see your still alive Sage of the Halo. I was sure that our last encounter should've all ready ended your life, seeing you refused to cooperate and use your armor. Sleep well?"

Mr. Date narrowed his eyes—that same anger.

Static and Gear glanced at Mr. Date, one clue on his condition.

"Of the eleven children, nine rival that of the mystical armors. Taka and Bartholomew, I've been expecting you. The seal broke when the two of you were born, that I hadn't expected that considering I destroyed your soul centuries ago."

"Yeah well, what are you going to do?" Static said in his usual playful manner. "We're here now, we surrendered, so now what?"

Talpa's eyes glowed brighter, "Now is your ensured destruction!"

"But we got nothing to do with this!" Shiv said fearing for his life.

"We're as good as dead anyway like it or not." Static said matter-of-factly.

"The words of a mad man, you must have truly given up." Talpa summoned an orb in the center of the room, "A powerful spell to render anything outside the Dynasty useless."

Static's smug look disappeared upon seeing the orb and shoved his handler taking back the bow and took aim. He powered up when none thought he could and fired, shattering the thing.

"Impossible! How!"

The teens powers returned having seen the physical transformation on half of them. Hot Streak snapped his fingers and grinned ear to ear when he kept his flame going. All together they disintegrated their handlers and Mr. Date chose this time to successfully summon his armor again.

"You should've been paying attention." Said Static, "I'm not about to start explaining like some lame Saturday morning cartoon."

"Left over P.B.," Mr. Date smirked with relief.

Talpa roared in frustration sending a gust of wind through out the floor throwing the teens out the castle. Mr. Date stabbed the floor, Static went with the gust and managed to hook an arm around his leg and grab Gears hand. Gear tried to get a better grip on Static feeling himself slip, accidentally letting go of his weapon. "No!" He cursed.

"Brace yourselves!" Mr. Date warned before the last of the gust threw them back.

Static looked up after skidding across the floor and froze. The floating head was now normal size with a body to go with it, six blades stuck out of its back, the mask was now blood red. Seeing it brought a hot stinging sensation to the top of his head that felt like it ripped him apart forcing him to cry out in pain. He wasn't alone as Gear started screaming too, holding his head as if keeping it from falling apart.

"Static! Gear!" Mr. Date turned to them, "Fight it!"

Talpa charged in for Gear first and Mr. Date intervened getting knocked down hard enough to knock the wind out of him. Static fought with himself and tried ignoring the pain getting up. He took aim with the bow but shook violently letting go, missed and hit the floor behind Talpa. "Leave him alone!" He shouted

"Virgil!" yelled Mr. Date choking up blood.

"Annoying insect," Talpa left Gear and went straight for Static.

Static aimed the bow again and stood his ground, the pain slowly fading away and kept his eyes on Talpa. The closer he got the better he could see an aura around him, and the electrical surge went straight and true only to be deflected away by his sword. Just as he raised his sword, again Mr. Date intervened only to be batted away and into one of the floors support beams.

Mr. Date slumped to the floor and Static stood there in shock. He turned expecting the toughest teacher he's ever known to get back up and fight. Static ran over to check turning him ducking the sword and turned Mr. Date over, looking into those lifeless eyes, not breathing.

"Virgil, run!" He heard his mothers' voice but couldn't understand why.

"STATIC" Gear cried pulling Static out of the way. Cutting it pretty close, Talpa slashed his sword down slicing Static's jacket in two. Then ran into the hole Mr. Date made to brace them earlier.

Talpa left the boys for the moment hovering his free hand over Mr. Date's lifeless body. "What?" He asked confused, "Why does his soul not leave his body?"

A purplish-pink orb floated down from the ceiling remaining at eye level with the demon. It remained stationary guarding Mr. Date.

Gear felt he was dragging Static along with him, however relieved that no one was following, opened one of the many doors and threw them both in.

"Static!" Gear tried to shake him back to reality, "Static come on! What's wrong?"

Static suddenly snapped shoving Gear down, ripping off his own jacket-or what's left of it-and tearing the room apart. When he settled he pounded his head repeatedly on one of the solid walls. It terrified Gear unaware of the reason behind it.

"Static…"

"He's gone."

"Gone?" Gear was confused, "What do you mean gone?"

"I'M SAYING HE'S DEAD! MR. DATE-SAGE IS DEAD!" Static pounded his forehead again.

Gear was now in shock. Not sure of what to say or if he should say anything. With backpack linked up to his thought process it brought up the document Mia had in her computer. "_When the light flickers the castle will appear in the sky…_" He said narrowing his eyes at the prophecy. "_The armor shatters… _hold on." Gear brought out a zap cap. "Maybe…"

Static pushed away from the wall, "This is all my fault! If I hadn't been so damn cocky and surrendered-" Gear cut him off.

"Don't blame your self Static! All I know is that Mr. Date wouldn't want for us to just be sitting here with regrets. I hate sounding heartless but we have to finish this."

"There are times where I hate it when you're right. Somebody's got to put things back together. I now know for sure that Talpa is the cause of all this. Everything around him was warped, just like Dakota, but it's the strongest around him."

Gear nodded once, "The readings around him were off scale. I think I can come up with a trans- dimensional devise out of these Zap caps. It's possible to even permanently get rid of him so long as I can lock onto that energy signature. Hopefully, the phantom zone or something, maybe even an alternate universe."

"Then you do that." Static turned around and sat down folding legs underneath him.

"What will you do?" Gear asked concerned.

"Calm down." Static took his mask off.

"Just don't take too long." Gear sat down in front of him getting to work on the Trans-dimensional devise.

Virgil had tried meditation before when he needed to calm down. He was still new to it and had difficulty before with trying to quiet the mind getting flashback after flashback.

_"If you don't get it this time," Said Mr. Date, "you have to keep to your promise."_

_"Talk about having no faith," Said Static pulling his shades down and raised his arms to power up the power plant._

_"We've got one block going," Gear reported the incoming data, "Whoa! Ten!"_

_Static smirked but felt drained and stopped falling to his knees panting_

"_Ha, success!" The data changed and Gear groaned losing enthusiasm, "or not."_

"_I can easily power up a satellite but I can't get Dakota back up?"_

"_You did your best," Said a woman with long blue hair tied up-Lady Kyra._

"_But I know I can-" Staitic was cut off._

"_You've tried eight times all ready." Mr. Date interrupted, "And you're severally drained."_

"_This is getting us no where." Rowan sighed._

"_Man," Static cursed getting to his feet with a slight wobble, "Okay so this training shouldn't be any more different than gym, right"_

"_Can't be any worse," Gear said._

"_Don't count on it," Said Lady Kyra walking away._

Clearing his mind was difficult, getting angry at his memories. Mr. Date wasn't around anymore and that angered him.

_Virgil had lost track of Cye and Ritchie on one of their morning runs. Stuck in the middle of no where and not a single piece of metal around to help him get back to civilization… he sat down to think for a moment. Wondering what he got into. First off he promised he'd help out the Ronin Warriors if he couldn't get Dakota going again, he only meant it as a joke, and that backfired._

"_I've got to learn to just shut my big mouth." He complained, therefore he wouldn't be in this mess. He tried getting back to the cabin but found himself going in circles. "Honestly! Where is that place!" _Squish! _"I did not just…" he looked under his shoe, "This is not my day!"_

_He jumped up and sat on the bolder irritated, cleaning his shoe with a rock. Once clean he threw the rock then rested his head in his hand giving a deep sigh. Sure the scenery was nice, a tree here, another tree over there, trees basically everywhere._

_Virgil sighed again, and sat up right closing his eyes counting to ten to calm his restlessness. Eyelids twitched at the sudden shadow passing over head._

"_Trying to meditate?"_

"_Huh?" Virgil opened his eyes watching Mr. Date fall head first and with catlike reflexes land on his feet next to him. _Show off_, he thought irritation returning._

"_Why aren't you with Cye?" he asked._

"… _Got lost."_

"_Guess using your legs for once is a chore compared to flying."_

_Virgil chose to ignore that, "What are you doing all the way out here anyway?"_

"_You didn't think we'd be sitting around all day doing nothing."_

"_Nah, just thought you'd be grading papers or something."_

_Mr. Date smirked, "do you really think your wits alone are going to be enough to save you every time?"_

"_Hasn't let me down before," Virgil said turning to the scenery._

"_At some point it might fail you and you will need to learn to calm yourself in a tense situation and concentrate all of your energy."_

"_Oh yeah... and how many times has it failed you?"_

"_Lost count," he simply admitted._

_Virgil fell over at this answer. "What?"_

"_I've needed to meditate on a number of times when I get caught in a messy situation."_

"_And here I thought you'd be wise enough not to get into those situations." He sat up._

_Mr. Date sighed, "There you go again, Virgil."_

"_Fine, okay so how does it work?" Virgil asked, bored._

_Sage sat himself with his legs folded and closed his eyes, Virgil imitated and grimaced as he thought._

"_You have to clear the storm in your mind, relax and just listen to everything all around you. Steady your breathing, only then can you be at peace with your self."_

_Virgil's relaxed a little taking a deep breath._

Remembering that he took a deep breath but his thoughts refused to settle.

_Virgil was throwing a few punches at Mr. Date, something he wished he could do right now for dieing on him. He easily dodged every blow Virgil threw at him. Then grabbed a fist and yanked harder than what Virgil expected, kneeing his gut and elbowing his back simultaneously. Letting go, back flipping a few times, Virgil held his gut and shot an electrical ball at him getting him square in the gut while upside down. Landing flat on his back knocked out._

_Virgil ran over concerned and knelt down to check on him._

_Mr. Date's eyes shot open and kicked. Virgil's reflexes kicked in and jumped away before contact. Mr. Date jumped and ready to stomp on Virgil, Virgil stepped forward and out of the way and turned on his heel behind him. Virgil got him hooking his arms up holding his shoulders back. Mr. Date struggled to get out of the strangle hold._

"_Looks like I've won." Virgil smirked as his teacher struggling to get free._

_His smirk vanished as Mr. Date looked over his shoulder with no problem, "Is that so?" he smirked, and shot his arm up grabbing Virgil's wrist on the way and threw him over his shoulder and onto the ground._

"_Wha?" Virgil was more confused than in pain._

_Mr. Date was still holding onto his wrist, "You can either continue training with me or go with Cye." He walked to the side of Virgil pulling his student to his feet._

"_I think I'll stick with Cye." Virgil said rubbing the back of his head, "No offense but getting my butt kicked by my teacher is a bit whack."_

"_Looked like it too." Ritchie commented._

"_How much did you see?" Virgil asked surprised to see Ritchie and Cye._

"_Quite a bit," Cye answered._

From there Virgil had no more images come to mind. Just peaceful silence, and after a while heard light footsteps going at a fast pace, followed by the heavy clang of metal and BOOM! Must have been a meta-human, then silence returned. Relaxing, he felt the warmth on his forehead. His Kenji glowing and melting away into something else, it was changing and earning his own Virtue—Patience.

"Huh?" Gear looked up feeling his own and saw the change and something else. Virgil probably didn't even realize, he was floating with an electrical aura around him.

He opened his eyes and dropped his feet to the floor. "Got it!"

"But I'm going to need more time on this thing." Gear said looking up.

Virgil quickly put his mask on, "Take all the time you need. I'm sure I can hold him back for a while."

"All right," Gear agreed seeing that determined face. "Careful out there."

"Yeah, you too," Static said grabbing the bow and running out of the room.

Those Dynasty soldiers were worse than cockroaches, they were everywhere. Static simply sliced through with the bow. Then pulled out his disk and rammed the wall straight ahead, busting through to the outside. Reinforcements had arrived with triple the number of meta-humans and all the rest of the Ronins and Ex-warlords. The Dynasty seemed to have too much oh their hands and seemed stretched too thin.

"Static," Lady Kyra landed next him on the roof top.

"L.K!" He had nicknamed her a while back, "Where's Talpa?" he asked with great urgency.

"He's on the highest roof top. Be cautious. We've been trying to get to him but with great difficulty."

"Got it."

"Don't underestimate him. Several of your fellow …" She searched for the right word, "Babies have tried and fallen."

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing but brace your selves for later." Static warned flying off.

"Looking forward to it," she said using her ancient staff to knock down another Dynasty soldier.

L.K. was right, Static noticed while flying up the side of the castle. Moving so fast he couldn't be hit by any of their weapons. The higher up he got the more concentrated the reinforcements were.

Hot Streak managed to get himself up pretty far, having fun blowing up stuff left and right. With a lethal combination of Puff on the same level, they gave the Dynasty soldiers hell. One level higher Slipstream was blowing them off like dust, raining down to the duo below.

Static finally reached the top level and there was Talpa at the very tip top of the castle surrounded by his own faithful soldiers. "Talpa!" He called.

"Taka! You disappeared all of a sudden."

"Just needed to blow off some steam but I'm ready now."

"You alone against my army?"

Static's aura disappeared being channeled into a straight out lance right for Talpa and parted clearing the roof top. Not surprised when Talpa remained unharmed and laughed almost mocking him. "Your powers have grown Taka, I trust you won't disappoint me as Sage of Halo."

Static narrowed his eyes.

"Ah yes," Talpa said upon seeing the gold insignia on Static's dark shirt, "_The darkest prison sheds the light, and the light will then protect the innocent._ What good will it do you when the light has been destroyed, boy? I've been waiting for this day to destroy you once and for all!" He roared.

Static looked more annoyed now than angry rolling his eyes, "Are you just gunna talk all day or are we going to rumble?"

Talpa roared again taking his stance pointing his sword at Static, and Static held his bow out horizontally. Talpa charged at full speed and Static stayed stationary. Watching the demon felt wrong, off almost and then realized, "Oh shit!" He cursed, "I got the wrong weapons!" Static flew off at last second missing the sword hitting the rim of the roof, and hearing another roar of disappointment.

Static smirked falling head first and took the Shock Vox from his belt, "Gear! What did you do with that staff?"

"_Why? What's wrong?" Gear asked._

"Turns out the bows the wrong weapon the staff can get rid of Talpa!"

"_Really?" _Gear paused with the Zap cap, _"Then how'd you figure that?"_

"I can't explain it," He glanced 'down'seeing Talpa falling after him, "just a feeling."

"_You and your feelings, sorry Static but it fell out with the others when they were blown away. I'm nearly done with the TDD. I think our best chances of beating Talpa is if we split up on this one."_

"So your saying I'm on my own?"

"_Sort of, when you do find it the TDD will be a backup, just in case."_

"Thanks a lot." He said sarcastically. Clipping the Shock Vox and flipped over, much like a carnival ride his stomach dropped curving up to the ground level. Behind Talpa landed with a loud crash kicking up a lot of dust, "The bigger they are the harder they fall," Static commented.

Without waiting for the dust to settle Talpa leaped out and gave chase. Swinging his blade again and catching up to Static he swerved on his disk blocking the blow with his bow. Then pushed his left arm forward getting the blade of his bow to knick the mask of Talpa and knock him off his feet.

Static quickly glanced around and saw the staff sticking out of the ground. He tried summoning it with his powers but didn't even budge. "Ceramic?!" he said in disbelief and shot for it when, "F L A R E U P N O W!" Line of fire threw it elsewhere.

"Guess that means more searching." Static glanced over his shoulder and Talpa leaped to the front of him. Attempting to stab Static, Static formed his own shield on his forearm blocking, and took a swipe with the bow. With his free arm Talpa knocked Static off his disk, Static rolled with the fall and summoned his disk slicing a few dynasty soldiers and jumped back on. Throwing an electrical ball square at Talpa's face only succeeded in angering him.

Talpa's sword started glowing with a ghostly aura much to Static's surprise he mimicked the Thunder Bolt Cut throwing a ball of light. Static readied to catch it when Kale shoved him out of the way.

"Talpa's powers and the Halo vary." Kale informed, "The Halo's power is pure, while Talpa's is full of evil." His voice grew grim at the next question, "By the way where is Halo?"

"Um…" Static looked down.

"I see," he blocked Talpa's next attack. "I'll hold him off!"

Static continued his search avoiding fellow meta-human attacks and Dynasty equipment. In his search he noticed the amount of damage done and still being done to the castle. What was holding it together was beyond him.

He found the staff had landed on one of the Dynasty soldiers and no one around the carcass. Static glanced around to see if anybody was around and went for it again. Out of nowhere he was hit with a rubber blanket and crashed into the wall.

"Sorry Static," Rubber Band Man apologized getting off Static, rubbing his own head.

"No problem." Static picked himself up and snatched up the staff with his free hand.

Gear called in, _"Yo Static! I'm done!"_

Static shifted the weapons over to answer the Shock Vox, "Great. I found the-ah!" The weapons flew from his arms as Kento collided with him. "Damn traffic!" Static complained.

The staff hit the ground again and sent a shockwave, like an EMP it shattered the Dynasty soldiers within a 50 foot radius blowing them away.

"What the…?" Was Kento's reaction getting up and helping Static to his feet.

Static called up Gear, "Why didn't you tell me the staff had that kind of power?"

"_What power, it's just a staff?"_

Kento grabbed the Shock Vox, "Hey kid! That staff just knocked out the Dynasty soldiers like paper dolls."

"_When I used it all it did was cut through tough metal. Maybe you did something to it."_

"Oh well," Static snatched the Shock Vox back, "Get down here! Kale can only hold Talpa back for so long."

"_All right I'm on my way. Gear out"_

Static retrieved the weapons and nodded at Kento, leaving him with the rest of the Dynasty soldiers.

Static threw up the bow as Gear descended from the castle catching it and twirled it about like a staff. Kale, Rowan and Dais were down and Static pocketed the disk running at full speed with the staff in hand. He ducked the sword coming at him and jumped up slashing at Talpa, marring his left side with the sword half forced Talpa to take a step back. Gear slashed at the back on the way down forcing him forward, Gear switched to his skates on landing turning back to the fight.

Talpa glanced at the boys and used an illusion to make more of himself. A run away fire ball came crashing down on him breaking his concentration and retuned him back to an individual. The duo charged in and Talpa jumped away at last second. The two had to pull their weapons away from each other to avoid harming the other. Talpa landed and the shockwave knocked the superheros off their feet. Static jumped to his feet and Gear rolled back getting to his.

All three charged in at each other, Static and Gear switched sides, Gear blocked and Static tried the side with the pincers getting pushed back by some odd force field.

"What the?" Static was confused.

"Careful when using the Soul Shredder," Virgil heard his mother again. He looked around then had a vision, standing on top of a building. Gear was missing as he looked around and found his mother standing behind him. She supported Mr. Date up with his arm around her shoulder.

"Mom?" Static said surprised to see his mother again.

"Virgil, it's great that you managed to power up the Soul Shredder! The creator of that weapon meant to protect those who wish to maintain peace. However, it's so powerful it will harm any person within range good or evil should it be used for the purpose of destroying a soul. Moreover, it does more than just devastate. This weapon alone can also restore any environment as well as bring back life. I know this will sound strange but you might avoid the effects if you and Gear synchronize yourselves again and attack at the same time…"

Static turned to the staff, "So this thing has more power than I thought, but…" he turned up and swallowed hard seeing his mom again felling a pang emotional, "Mom…" Static had a lot of questions that had nothing to do with the current situation then saw his teacher getting back on track, "What will happen to him?"

"Don't worry Virgil I'll take care of him." The vision vanished before Static could say anymore.

A sharp blade came from the side and Static instinctively blocked then swung the sword half, slicing Talpa's left forearm, Gear the front of the right shin. The duo jumped back a safe distance, Static pulled out his disk and hopped on. Going head on again Gear went first and Static right behind him, Gear came to an abrupt stop and Static took to the sky and put more force coming back down and putting another cut in Talpa's torso. Static flew to the side and Gear shot forward only for them both to get slapped to the side and hit the pavement hard.

Cye stepped in and blocked Talpa's sword, from behind Seckmet used his whip like attack, "SNAKE FANG STRIKE!" and lashed.

Talpa cried out in pain having been weakened by the Superhero's. An aura formed around Talpa adding more weight to his sword bringing Cye to his knees.

Gear recovered and broke a Zap cap on the bow testing his theory to power it up. Successfully it strung up the bow and shot Talpa. Going with the attack Talpa rolled to his feet and clashed swords with...Shiv? The teen slashed about wearing his psychotic smile then jumped out of the way when Boom sent a sound wave.

"Ready?" Ryo shouted, but nowhere in sight.

"Bring it!" Hot Streak landed smirking at the Demon in front of him.

"F L A R E U P NOW!" the line of fire hit both Hot Streak and Talpa.

Hot Streak received the Power Boost and shot a 50 ft wide flamethrower, Ryo landed inside the river of flame and slashed at Talpa. Unfortunately, Talpa grabbed Ryo by the neck and threw him at Hot Steak—two more down.

Static finally recovered with blood trickling from his hairline. "That could've gone better."

"Come on Static!" Gear helped him up grabbing the staff.

The staff started glowing in their grasp and the two stared at it in awe. They smirked and Static pulled himself up and the two took hold of it with both hands. Static called his disk back and hopped on. "You calm?" He asked Gear.

"You mean focused?" Gear asked now hovering.

Static smirked and in unison. "OUT OF THE WAY!!!" they warned with the Soul Shredder pointed right at Talpa.

Rowan recovered and saw he was in the path hurried to get Dais out of the way and Kento showed up in time to get the still unconscious Kale.

As if in one mind the duo shouted, "SOUL ANNIHILATOR!"

Static powered up the two and Gear corrected the aim by a few degrees. Like a bullet they shot forward and surprised everybody. They tore through and disintegrated the Dynasty solders caught in the way and Talpa's entire right half. His sword went flying.

They turned to see the end result and seconds felt like hours as they waited and finally the left half fell back. Just a torn empty shell was left behind and Talpa's red eye slowly faded into a dark pool.

"Damn!" Onyx commented, bug eyed.

Oddly enough as predicted by the Ronins and Ex-Warlords all the Dynasty soldiers everywhere including Dakota fell apart. Startling some of the meta humans as they just collapsed.

Static and Gear stood next to the two way portal and saw kids everywhere cheering. Dakota was still devastated though.

Gear turned to Static, "If we could take that down and ancient near unbeatable demon, then maybe we could restore Dakota."

Blinked in confusion, Static didn't remember mentioning anything like that, "Worth a shot," he shrugged and held out the staff. The two flipped the Soul Shredder and pointed it at the city.

"Restoration," They calmly commanded. Ironically it sent violent bolts of lightening everywhere below, more ironic the bolts weren't destructive but set every piece of rubble everywhere back in its original place. All seems were sealed and mended.

Everyone else around the portal starred down in awe. The Lights floating around the city raced off in every direction and sank into the adult bodies waking them. The kids cheered happily reuniting with their parents. It was enough to even make the cruelest of the Bang-babies smile. Boom teared up and wiped them away.

"Dude are you crying?" Shiv asked.

"Shut up!"

Gear smirked at the scene but Static grimly turned back to the castle. He hadn't forgotten what happened hours ago and slowly flitted up to the floor with the thrown room. The Ronins and Ex-warlords managed to keep pace following him.

"Sage!" Ryo yelled at the sight of his dead friend.

Gear was last and was shocked at the lifeless body. "So he really is…" he trailed off.

"_With the weapons of yore…"_ Static whispered turned to the staff in hand and looked back at the bow in Gears hand. "_The warrior will bring life back to where it was stolen!" _ He said louder. "Gear, come on I have an idea!"

Gear jogged up, "An idea?" Gear asked confused following Static to the body.

Static was standing to Mr. Date's right side and Gear to the left.

"What are you doing?" Seckmet asked defensively.

"Something I read," said Static, "Just trust me." He held the staff over Mr. Date, "Gear, cross the bow over the staff."

"Um…" Gear looked at him like he was crazy but complied.

"These weapons are supposed to return him back to life."

"That's crazy!" Kento snapped at the Static for the absurd idea. "If you're dead then your gone! So don't say stupid things!" Amazingly Kale didn't even wake through Kento's yelling..

"How many times have we proven you guys wrong?" He looked around getting no response. "All right then Gear."

Gear nodded, and the two closed their eyes and Kenji's glowing, Gear's: innocence, Static's: patience. They heard the words come to them.

"Soul Return!" They commanded. Both weapons were glowing, gradually getting brighter and brighter, then slowly died down.

They opened their eyes and Mr. Date's color gradually returned, his eye's twitching and shot open. Static and Gear removed the weapons and were smiling glad to have their teacher back. Mr. Date looked back and forth feeling disoriented. The other guys were stunned.

Static held out his hand to help him up, "How do you feel?"

Mr. Date took his hand sitting up, "Fine. Haven't felt like this since I was a kid," and got up the rest of the way.

"Well…" started Rowan, "Guess you can do just about anything, Virgil and Ritchie."

"Yep!" Static agreed and the duo turned back to their weapon as they dissolved away.

"I guess they served there purpose." Said Gear shrugging at the.  
They smiled and not wasting any time on talk—seeing that they were still a little stunned—they raced back down to the portal. Once on ground level of the castle a dark pool materialized on the floor and Ebon rose out from it.

"Ebon?" Static asked feeling uneasy.

The living shadow stood there silent then his eyes went red and the only portal vanish. His right hand shot up and Talpa's sword flew to his hand mid way up and held it next to his face. He began laughing, his voice becoming very scratchy. The left side of Talpa's face appeared over his own. "You didn't think to be rid of me so easily. Be crushed within the ruins of my castle!" Ebon's form shifted and swirled over all of them, taunting them with his new body then melted into the ground.

Mr. Date turned to Static, "How long is the tracer good for?"

"The newer ones can last up to forty-eight hours." Gear informed.

Mr. Date scissored his fingers at his exposed hair and took the tracer throwing it into the vortex before it vanished.

The immense castle crumbled behind them and all the meta-humans left on the grounds scrambled about. Static and the others tried to run distancing themselves from the structure. Everything was coming down and searched for another way out.

[(/!$&\) 

CONGRATULATIONS!!! To all of you who managed to read this far. There is more. At least two more chapters, I love putting cliff hangers… also I needed to end it there it was getting too long. Originally I only planned for two chapters, not seven, oh well.

Also I tried using a hand signal that wasn't offensive or too obvious.


	8. Find Ebon!

A/N: I own nothing! Save plot.

Ritchie: (adjusts glasses) Is that cheese at the bottom?

Kento: (excited) Where?

Find Ebon!

Below in Dakota, Talpa's castle started fading away, finally allowing the sun to shine through in what felt like forever. However on the castle grounds was another story.

"Hey!" Static called, "Everybody, just calm down!"

"Easy for you to say!" yelled a frantic Kangor in Static's face and continued to look for a way out

"This is insane!" Ryo said watching the chaos of frantic teenagers.

Static balled his hands into fist and raised them slowly struggling with the weight of the chuck of pavement he cut out around them.

"Static!" Mr. Date called concerned, "What are you doing?"

"Get everybody on!" He shot his arms up lifting the chuck they were standing on out of the ground.

"There is a dimensional shift," Gear informed as the data scrolled on. "You have to time it right or we could end up somewhere else!"

"Don't suppose we could just shoot them down," Sekhmet suggested about the fliers.

"HEY GUYS IF YA'LL WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE THEN GET ON!" Static yelled to the top of his lungs.

The Bang-Babies everywhere froze in their tracks then gravitated to the chuck of rock without question. Static was all ready struggling with the weight, now he was carrying the weight of over thirty more people pushing it.

"This is too much for you to handle!" Mr. Date scolded.

"Static!" Gear yelled, "Just hold on for a few more seconds."

"How much power is this taking exactly?" Rowan asked nervously.

"Can't believe I'm going to say this," Gear said nervously trying to keep his balance, "PLUNGE IT NOW STATIC!!!"

The ground underneath the chunk disappeared and Static drove the chunk through Once safely on the other side he slowed the descend with difficulty. Never before had he tried lifting something so heavy over exerting himself. Blood trickled from the wound on his hair line and started getting a bloody nose. The Ronin, Ex-Warlords and Gear looked on helpless.

The meta-humans capable of flight flew off lightened his load but not by much.

Everyone groundside at an intersection cleared the way but it was too much, Static fell to his knees exhausted and the rest of the way passed out. Rowan took over putting his hands in the air forming a bubble around all of them and with a dull thud, hit the ground.

The guys ran to his side, "Move!" Mr. Date ordered stopping them in their track, "THOUNDER BOLT CUT!" he brought his sword blade down on Static's back hitting Static's field rather than him.

As the light died down Static blinked and got up wiping his face, then looked at his hands. "So this is what it feels like to eat a Sensu bean."

Kale finally awoke standing on his own two feet. "What'd I miss?"

Mr. Date turned to him not to happy, "Ebon got possessed by Talpa."

"… Crap!" Kale said almost expecting that answer.

"Hold on, I don't think he has gotten the hang of Ebon's power yet." Gear said following the tracer with his eyes-the display only on the inside of his helmet, "he's still in Dakota."

"Then what are we just standing around for?" Static said.

"Stick to your counter parts and find Ebon." Mr. Date leapt away.

"Yeah, what he said." Said Static trying to sound in command and followed.

Ryo headed south east and ran into Hot Streak shooting fireballs at a wall. He had jumped down to stop him when the kid threw a fire ball over his shoulder and heard the raspy cry. The shadow took form from the wall, Ryo ran in and sliced away but he may as well have been slicing at air. Talpa/Ebon slashed at Ryo with no problem beating him down. Hot Streak aimed for Ryo sword and ignited the blade, Ryo used it to slash again at the living shadow successfully harming him then swirled off into his portal.

SSRW

"He's on the move," Static heard the Tracer change position, "Due West!"

SSRW

Ebon materialized in front of Dais and Kale. Again neither one could hurt him. Kale was about to call his ultimate attack when he noticed Ebon just standing there ready to absorb the attack and stopped jumping out of Dais', "WEBB OF DECEPTION!" Talpa/Ebon fazed through the six sharp blades coming at him and with easy walked through the webs entangling around the alley. He cut through and almost reached his old warlords when a pigeon transformed into a kid Goku from the Dragon ball series. He delivered a quick kick and sent Talpa/Ebon skidding on his butt all the way to the street. Dwayne was at the sidewalk then sent Goku after him again, Talpa/Ebon jumped up and disappeared into his portal.

SSRW

"He jumped!" Static shouted, "South west of our position."

SSRW

Ebon formed out of the ground, caught from behind with a Zap Cap binding him. "Ha, Ha! Just try getting out of that!" Gear said in triumph.

"Is that a challenge?" He fazed through having the gadget fall to the floor. An arrow raced over going in between his eyes and continued straight through. He solidified ignoring Rowan and went for Gear jumping from wall to wall when he was high enough readied to slice the Teen but Gear was ready. He threw the Zap cap then jetted off in to the sky.

Talpa/Ebon were caught in an Electrical blast crying out in pain over the intense light. Lady Kyra threw the Ancient's staff. He saw it coming and retreated again into another portal.

SSRW

"Northeast!"

SSRW

Sure not to get caught off guard Talpa/Ebon exited the portal with an impressive kick toppling onyx.

"There!" Seckmet as with the others attacked without thinking and couldn't land a single blow.

"Men are never too bright," Puff said as Seckmet flew her way and evaded. She puffed knocked out gas and Talpa/Ebon was caught in the cloud. Coughing he fell back into a portal.

SSRW

Static stopped as the tracers beeping came to a sudden stop. "Stop!" Static ordered the both of them remaining stationary.

"What's wrong?" Mr. Date asked.

"Lost the signal," Static called Gear up, "Gear!"

_"Static! What's going on?"_

"I lost the signal."

"_Time's not up yet. Let me check…"_

There was slight shift in the air, Static glanced over his shoulder just in time and the tracers beep returned.

"Static!" Mr. Date shouted.

Static dropped to the ground below as Talpa/Ebon appeared from the spot he stood moments before.

He clashed swords with Mr. Date on the roof of the building. Now alive and kicking he held his own pretty well and with a horizontal slash Talpa/Ebon jumped away from the sword and onto the street below. Static shot a few charges which Talpa/Ebon easily avoided then landed one his right shoulder dropping Talpa's sword.

Talpa/Ebon stretched his hand out wrapping it around Static. Static smirked bringing out an electrical aura forcing him off.

Mr. Date jumped down meeting them at ground level. Then heard a crowd cheering, taking a glance around, noticing some of his students. There were too many around to use his ultimate attack …

"Ah!" Static called out to warn his teacher about Talp's word flying through the air—but felt he should keep his identity secret, "Sage!"

Thanks to quick reflexes he deflected the sword coming at him but cut it close when it knocked Static's shades off. It boomeranged around and back into Ebon's hands. Talpa/Ebon lunged at Static and Static gave a charged punch, a little more powerful than what he originally wanted and sent him flying straight at Mr. Date.

The helmet flew but he was only forced a few steps back thanks to the impact.

"Damn!" Static cursed at his lack of control.

Mr. Date held his sword out glowing and vertically slashed sending a stinging sensation—even though it went through him like air—right down the path of his sword.

Ebon dropped Talpa's sword shaking, his eyes were normal, "Get… this… asshole out of me!" He roared.

"Ebon!" Static cried recognizing his voice.

Talpa's left half appeared back on Ebon and ran nabbing the sword.

"Oh no you don't!" Static ran after and tackled him flinging them both into another portal.

"Static!" Mr. Date called now left on the street.

Quickly he glanced around for his helmet. Omar jogged up and handed it to him. "Here Mr. Date. Hope you and Static get him." Not sure what do say.

"Thanks." He jumped away and ran off to search for the others.

SSRW

Static was dumped into the deepest part of the sewers and clung onto a pole. "Rancid!" He tried to cover his nose.

"Hey if I could dump a truck load of air freshener in here I would." Commented Kento pulling Static onto the ledge and shook him off his staff.

"What do I look like a rag doll?" Static landed.

"You really want us to answer that?" BrickHouse—one of the Night breed—asked.

"Brickhouse? Don't suppose you've seen Ebon."

Brickhouse punched a fist into her palm turning into her rock form.

SSRW

Talpa/Ebon wound up at the park, he looked around and didn't see anybody until the pond erupted. Cye landed a few feet away and Aqua-Maria flowed up the hill taking her human form between the two. They charged in and Cye jabbed his Trident. Talpa/Ebon blocked with the flat of the sword pulling it out of the claw. Then tried to slash when Aqua Maria swirled around, the water pressure redirected the blow sending him up through a water funnel and into a nearby tree. There he ran off again into another portal.

SSRW

Static easily returned to the surface on a grate and just as he popped out the signal returned. Following it to another underground area in the subway and it disappeared.

"Damn! Lost it!"

Then heard it again following it down the subway tunnel.

SSRW

Talpa/Ebon finally showed up to Kento and BrickHouse.

She was none too happy to see him and punched the ground. Talpa/Ebon jumped back and out of the way, using his sword to attack Kento's blocked with his staff. He collapsed it and tugged on Talpa's sword, only Talpa/Ebon pulled Kento off the ground and into the nearby wall.

In the distraction Brickhouse grabbed Ebon restraining him.

Talpa/Ebon melted to the ground and reappeared behind Brickhouse. With a spinning heel he knocked her into the sewage pit.

Kento lunged after Brickhouse using his staff as a rope and swung her back on right at Talpa/Ebon. She had a kick of her own ready when he pressed his form against the wall.

"I R O N R O C K C R U S H E R!!!" Kento called his ultimate attack.

SSRW

Gear was in the air and got out of the way from the ground erupting underneath him.

"Aw!" He complained at the damaged, "And we just fixed that!"

SSRW

Brickhouse felt the sting of the sunlight, Kento took a quick glance around and found he was gone and took the girl into the shadows for her safety.

SSRW

Static was still going down the subway tunnel and heard the tracer. There he saw the dark carpet over the tracks pass underneath him. He gave chase following at full speed. Passing the station he entered the tunnel ahead.

There was a light but it wasn't a subway it was in the form of a man and he raised his sword gathering energy.

"No, stop!" Static yelled, "Intense light'll hurt him!"

"That's why I'm not alone." Mr. Date said as a shadow stepped out beside him.

"Kale?" Static looked shocked.

"Out of the way!" Kale ordered.

"THOUNDER BOLT CUT!/BLACK LIGHTENING SLASH!" They held their sword's crossing it with the other sending a controlled wave of energy from the crossing point. It was powerful enough to peel Talpa/Ebon off the ground and back into his human form, Static was caught in the blast of light and shadow. The light half exorcised Talpa from Ebon's body and the shadow softened the blow of the attack. Yet he still fell from having his body banged up.

Mr. Date and Kale were in awe, not over their new attack but what it did. Ebon fell and behind Static was floating there with his aura glowing and ominous colorless eyes.

He smirked and shot his right hand out but nothing happened. With his left he grabbed his right wrist and fought to bring it back.

"Virgil-san!" Mr. Date shouted, hoping to get through.

In the internal struggle Static was trapped in a void and was stripped away from being Static and was Virgil again. His worst memories coming back to him: getting the sad news about his mother, Francis picking oh him and the fear, receiving the gun—the memory changed—and he accepted it. "NO!" He screeched. Ritchie was being put into the ambulance and being too helpless, the dislike when they weren't friends for a while. The self loathing when Daisy was put into a coma.

Talpa's laugh came from every direction, "Give into the hate, sorrow and fear Taka!"

"The name's Static now!" Virgil turned into Static and balled his hands, "and I won't give in!"

"Keep fighting, Static!" Mr. Date cheered on.

On the out side Static kept sending electrical surges from his body like the decorative globes.

Inside the image of his body was dissolving from his feet up. He thought about his family and friends—everyone he would leave behind if he let himself be consumed.

No! He would make it through, he told himself bringing back his body. He could see the outside world again, glanced at the tunnel and shot back to the station. He slowed struggling with the anxiety knotting in his stomach. Static ditched his disk and was now in the air curling up into the ball gathering his energy together and force out an EMP, busting all the lights and vending machines, derailing the subway tracks. Letting out an inhuman cry as he forced Talpa's left half out of his body.

"See…" Static gave a weary smile while floating back to the ground. "Told you I wouldn't…" He trailed off falling back.

"Static!" Both Mr. Date and Kale ran out of the tunnel to see him hit the ground.

Gear flew in detecting the EMP and saw Static lying on the ground and the apparition startling him to a halt. Reflexively he threw the TDD (Trans Dimensional Devise) exploding mid air and engulfed Talpa swallowing him out of existence.

Mr. Date cradled Static, "Virgil? Are you all right?" He whispered. Static's eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"He's going to be all right isn't he?" Gear squeaked.

Kale turned his back thinking the worst closing his eyes. There was a cough and immediately turned back glad to see he was alive.

Static opened half lidded eyes, "I was paying attention the whole time." He said as reflex seeing his teacher.

"I know." Mr. Date smirked.

Gear cheered, "He's back!"

"I'm taking the day off tomorrow." Static said before passing out again.

"Take the whole week." Mr. Date smirked pulling an arm over his shoulder.

Together they walked up the stairs and out of the trashed subway station.

"Gear, where exactly did you send Talpa?"

"Trust me you… really… don't want to know."

SSRW

POP! Talpa's left side ended up in one of the most annoying places of all.

"I love you, you love me." A purple dinosaur sang.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He roared. Being a spirit he couldn't harm the menacing dino.

!#$&()+/\?

It's an action adventure/Humor fic where else would he have gone? One more to go!

Kento: (disappointed) There was no cheese any where!

Ritchie: Actually I was talking about the ending.


	9. It ended all ready?

Sage: Is that it?

Virgil: One more chapter to go.

Sage: crap.

It all ready Ended

Nearly one whole week had passed since the blackout over Dakota ended. People were still trying to straighten things out as far as what was going on last weekend. Yet continued their day to day jobs feeling that was best with everything up and running. Unbeknownst to them that Static and Gear put everything back together again.

As with all things that can't be explained people knew what they saw but the equipment—other than Gear's—said otherwise and couldn't prove any of it. The satellite imaging showed a blot, a Polariod taken outside of Dakota was okay but only got the city and a white blotch for the castle. Maybe it was due to the fact that Backpack was hookup to Gear's thoughts that kept all the records straight. Who knows?

The sun was rising in crisp morning air, and the grass covered in dew. The park is one of the most peaceful of all places with the occasional jogger passing by. Virgil was glad to be out of the house so early in the morning, and relaxing by the pond.

While everyone else was in school for one whole week, Virgil took the week off. On Monday he could barely get out of bed and fell back to sleep when he landed on the floor. The rest of the week was all right. The events over the passed few days managed to stop all crime around Dakota, probably until the bad guys could also sort out what happened. Either way it was a vacation… with homework, thanks to Ritchie.

It was quiet, peaceful. Virgil folded his legs and closed his eyes smiling at the sound of birds, the jogger again and sloshing water in the pond. Minutes later the sound of grass crunching under footsteps, a curious person?

"You should really be careful doing that in public," said a familiar voice.

"Wha?" Virgil opened his eyes, face to face with his teacher. Startled he fell to the floor landing on his butt and fell back. "Can't you warn a guy before doing that?"

Mr. Date crouched down, "You were levitating."

"Levitating?!" Virgil sat up surprised.

Mr. Date had a surprised look of his own, "How can you not know you were levitating?"

"Well for one it didn't feel like I left the ground." Virgil watched curiously at the box in his teacher's arm as he moved to sit next to him, "So…" tying to start up a conversation, "what've you been up to?"

"Same old, same old." He mumbled.

"Really, who got detention this time?" Virgil said with a smirk.

Mr. Date almost burst out laughing at that question but stifled it. Almost like Virgil knew him too well, "You wouldn't believe it if I told you."

"Frieda and Daisy?" Virgil took a guess.

"Actually more like Hot Streak and Ritchie."

Virgil gave a low whistle at the bad combination. How Hot Streak managed to attend detention was beyond him then realized, "You messing with me?"

"Pretty much." He smiled.

Virgil cocked a quizzical eyebrow wondering what Mr. Date was on. He first noticed this odd almost playful change the moment he was revived. Even before that he mentioned something about video games, then the comic, truthfully he probably could've kept Hot Streak in detention. Then again Ritchie did report him acting a little, what was the word? Goofy. Getting pranked on all week probably loosened him up a bit. At least that's what he figured from what Ritchie said.

Oh well. Virgil shrugged it off, must have been relief from it all.

"And you?" Mr. Date asked.

"Slept in, watched cartoons, and tried to see how much power I got back." He demonstrated snapping his fingers getting a controlled spark. "Oh and I finished all my homework."

"It's good to hear you're caught up…" He paused for a moment not taking his eyes off the glistening pond. "You never really believed in any of the legends did you?"

"Nope," Virgil's simply responded.

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"Wanted to avoid the long lecture."

Mr. Date narrowed his eyes insulted, "So you just went with it."

"Pretty much."

"Putting your life at risk over something that could've turned out to be, nothing at all?"

"Yep."

"Virgil!" Mr. Date scolded.

"What?" He said innocently.

Mr. Date gave a small irritated growl then sighed it off. That made Virgil a little nervous, normally he would get a scolding followed by a lecture. What was going on?

"Sure you're all right?" Virgil asked sincerely.

"I'm fine."

Virgil paused for a moment, "You just better not be dieing on me again!"

"What!" Mr. Date turned to him surprised. "I'm not dieing. I'm perfectly healthy now!"

"Well, something's up!" Virgil retorted.

Mr. Date smirked, "Guess there's no fooling you."

"Weird. Think we've been spending too much time together?" Virgil asked.

They both shivered at that thought.

"I hear you're psychic."

"That all depends. Close friends do sometimes develop a close bond that almost seems Psychic."

"So you're not?"

Mr. Date shrugged not trying to convince anybody.

"How come I saw my Moms when we were at Talpa's castle?"

This grabbed the teacher's attention. "What was she to you?"

"What kind of question is that?" Virgil asked insulted

Mr. Date got a good look into Virgil's eyes, "long dark hair with grey streaks tied back… paramedic?"

Virgil paled a little, he never so much as mentioned his mother before now. Mr. Date hastily looked away. Virgil was taken aback.

"You knew!" He said angrily, "What did my… mom have to do with any of this?"

"She knew the legend."

A chill went down Virgil's back. "Mom was involved…"

"To a certain degree, it would've been no different than just a childhood story, told for generations. Did she ever tell you about it?"

Virgil hugged his knee remaining silent as the guilt crawled all over him. To escape the pain of his mother's passing he went through a moment where he tried to forget certain things about her. The smell of her sweet perfume, how she would be in the garden planting her favorite flower—azalea's—while humming to songs from her day, and even the old bed time stories.

Sadly he replied, "Yeah…"

Mr. Date regretted asking that last question, seeing the hurt in his students' eyes. Mentally kicking himself for it.

"She used to tell me a bunch of old stories," Virgil seemed to recover sitting back, "I guess it makes sense when she told me how to work the Soul Shredder. What she tell you?"

Mr. Date was taken aback, "as odd as it sounds I've never met Jean. Her name showed up on the data base of Taka's descendents copied off a scroll my family received some years ago. With it a different writing system but all of the words on the branches check out as names for different regions."

"Hmm…" Virgil thought for a moment remembering his mother was carrying Mr. Date in the vision, "You don't remember anything?"

"Virgil," Mr. Date turned to him confused, "you make it sound as if I've actually met her."

"But I remember…" he dropped the idea of the vision, "never mind."

Mr. Date smirked, figuring it was rather cruel, he did remember the momentary afterlife. Drifting away and a warm presence asking him to stay and to relay a message, "Jean said that she is very proud of you Virgil for being selfless and helping people who are in need. Even as she watches you and your family grow she will always be proud of all of you."

Virgil had a tear threatening to fall and smiled, "See, now was that hard?"

"Suppose not," He closed his eyes allowing Virgil to wipe the tear in private.

"What time is it?" Virgil asked looking around.

"It's ten till nine."

"I better get home before Sharon starts barking at my door again." Virgil got up then turned back to Mr. Date, "How'd the run in with her go"

Mr. Date got up from his spot remembering the near car accident, "She pretty much yelled my ear off, even though cut me off. Strange compared to how pleasant she was when I brought you to your house."

"Sharon? Pleasant? Sure we're talking about the same person here?"

"Pretty sure."

Virgil eyed the box again, "What is that?"

Mr. Date held it out, "A gift. Actually this is for you Virgil. Rowan said not to tell Ritchie seeing that he makes most of your equipment."

Virgil received it and opened the lid and there were a pair of shoes identical to his Static gear in design but not in color.

"Rowan noticed how much damage your current ones take. He designed these to withstand rather high temperatures, no matter how hot it gets these won't melt. There are springs all around that absorb the electricity you produce almost nullifying the extreme heat. He guarantees these will last up to a year with only wearing down the sole."

Virgil gave him that fake smile people give when they find something wrong with the gift, "Thanks but these are the wrong color, my gear is Blue, yellow and black not white and baby blue."

Mr. Date took a shoe out and held it out like 'here'. Virgil took it not really sure what to do, "Charge it up."

Shrugging Virgil charged up his hand and changed to the right colors. "Whoa!" Virgil nearly dropped it.

Mr. Date smirked at the shock, "They change color according to the charge. Seeing that as Static you use a certain amount of power it will stay that color. As you power down they change back to your street shoes. I've seen both completely melted before, you could use them."

Virgil powered down and they went back to the Blue and white. "Thanks." Virgil said with a genuine smile. Then looked around for a place to change at, Mr. Date thumbed over his shoulder at the bushes. "See ya." Virgil ran off and moments later reappeared on his disk wearing his gift doing a fly by. "Arigato Seiji Sensei!" flying off.

Mr. Date was about to correct him but let it slide, "Sayonara Virgil-san." He said over his shoulder before walking off.

THE END

Finally! Three years and I've finished it! Yea! I wanted to end this on a good note btw these two. Well bye! I just can't believe I finished this on my birthday!

Virgil: Ha! Your old!

Me: Technically we're the same age if you think about it, series-wise at least.

Sage: She got you.

Virgil: Shut up!


End file.
